


Called Out In The Dark

by dreamingwitheyesclosed



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-03-17 11:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 46,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3526991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingwitheyesclosed/pseuds/dreamingwitheyesclosed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a child, he was thrown into darkness. It wasn't long until he was found by DiZ, the man who raised them. Shortly after that, Aqua found them. It didn't take long for the two of them to discover he was the Key to their way home. But… should they even want to return home? The universe is in shambles. And the two heroes working to save it aren't enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Came up with this crazy idea. Kind of really loved it. You guys should love it, too.

Three children were building a sand castle when it happened. The two boys were arguing over who would be king of the castle, while the girl placed sea shell pieces in place of windows. The girl was their new friend, one that hadn't been with them for more than a year, but they still fought to impress her. But she was made of more stuff than that, which was something the boys didn't understand. It took a lot to impress her. Even if she couldn't remember much of life before Destiny Island, it was like she had seen everything.

"I'm stronger, I should be the king." Proclaimed the older boy of six. He was a boy with silver hair and light blue eyes that rivaled the peek of day. He was very competitive, but also very protective. He believed he was only trying to help his younger friend become stronger. Strength was something he always admired and strived for.

"No fair, Riku! I should be. My dad brings us here!" If only because Riku's father was no longer in the picture and his mother worked hard. The younger's father had taken it upon himself to give Riku a father figure, which is why the boys had become inseparable. The younger of five had unruly brown hair and blue eyes as well, but so very different from his friend's. His eyes were the blue of the ocean they played beside as the sky grew darker. Rich and vivid, yet, always alive and shining. He was called Sora.

"Why does the castle have to have a king?" The girl, also of five asked. "Couldn't it just be a castle?" She had grown used to these two arguing. It was something they did more often then not. They were at odds, but it seemed they enjoyed it that way. She learned by observing the two of them. Riku and Sora were best friends and only grew closer because they fed off of each other. Riku wanted his friend to grow and Sora wanted to be strong like Riku. But, they fought on the meaning of strength. Riku was physical. Sora was emotional. When Riku knocked Sora down, he got right back up.

"Somebody has to rule it," Riku said as he put his hands on his hips matter-of-factly.

"But there's no people to rule," the girl pointed out. "So, the king would only rule a castle and there's no fun in that."

The boys looked at each other. They often wondered how she knew so much about royalty and kingdoms. The two of them speculated maybe she came from a place that was ruled by a kingdom. And maybe she was actually part of the royal family. So, they gave her a nickname.

"Princess Kairi's right," Sora smirked. " _You_  can be the king."

"Hey!"

Kairi giggled as the new argument came up, this time, saying the opposite. They insisted the other should be king. Kairi brushed her short red hair from her face as her deep blue eyes surveyed their work. Eh, she thought. It didn't look like the castles she'd imagined. But it was pretty darn good.

"Kids!" They turned up to face a man who looked much like his son. "Everyone doing okay? No fighting, right?"

"We're  _fine_ , Dad." Sora insisted. They hadn't brought out their wooden swords to spar with just yet.

The man and a few of the other men of their village were building a playground on the island. They had drawn up plans after they noticed some teenagers going to the island at an increasing rate. So, the man would bring the children to the island while he and a few other worked on it. At the moment, they were building platforms to connect a deck to a tree house. The work was shoddy, but none of them were exactly architects. In fact, the man was a simple fisherman. But he was happy to try and build a better future for his son.

"Just making sure."

The three went back to work, as did Sora's father. As Kairi made a few touches to the castle, Sora and Riku began to dig out a moat. They still discussed who would live in the castle and who would visit and what kind of parties they would have. There would be jousting events and ancient games reenacted.

Life was simple and sweet. Three best friends stuck in a small town with nothing but the ocean and their imagination. They were good at pretend and good at questioning the world around them. Sweet children with kind hearts, they knew they would be together forever. They didn't want it any other way.

Unfortunately, you couldn't always have it your way. A happy ending just… wasn't always in the cards.

"Sora?" the boy perked at the sound of his name. The voice was foreign, one he had not heard before. A woman's voice, deep and imbued with confidence. He tried to turn to face the person that had called him, but he was quickly snatched by his collar and pulled from his feet. He cried out in shock and fear. Sharp nailed scratched him through his shirt as the woman that held him up asked again. "Is your name Sora?"

"Sora!" Riku and Kairi cried before they reached for him. Riku ran for his friend, but was pushed back by… some sort of force field. He yelled in shock or pain as he fell back into the sand.

The woman chuckled. "So small. So weak. You'll never survive."

Fear wracked his little body. He looked up towards where his father was working. He saw his father. He met his father's eyes as the man ran from his place, trying his fastest to make his way to his boy. Sora tried to call out to him, but he couldn't breathe. His shirt snagged his throat, but before he could try and gasp for air, he was hurtled into darkness.

He screamed. It was all he knew how to do. He screamed as he fell into black sand and all the light disappeared. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but he was sure if he screamed loud enough and long enough his father would find him and bring him home. That strange woman would be gone and Riku and Kairi would be safe.

He screamed until his throat hurt and screamed some more. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't bleeding. But he was alone. Alone in a strange, dark place. He didn't bother looking around because he knew he wouldn't be alone for long.

He screamed until his little lungs finally gave out. And then, he cried. He cried and sobbed and couldn't breathe. It was so hard to breathe because now, it was clear he wouldn't be found. He wasn't somewhere anyone would find him because one minute, he was home, the next, he wasn't. The crying was what finally did it. He was so stuffed with snot and tears and mucus, he passed out. He had never cried that long. Usually, he was calmed down by someone that that didn't happen. He didn't actually think that what his grandmother told him would happen could happen, but it did.

Nobody was there to tell him to breathe. Nobody was there to wipe the tears. Nobody was there to hug him and tell him it would be okay. And when he finally woke up, he was still alone.

He was cold. He shook and held himself as he wiped his face with his shirt. If nobody was going to find him… maybe he should go find somebody.

So, he walked along the beach. He walked, his shaking legs barely carrying him as he followed the coastline of this beach with black sand and dark waters and a cavernous sky. How long had he been there? A few hours? He didn't know. He couldn't tell because the sky was so dark. There was no sun. No stars or a moon. Just infinite blackness.

He tried to call out for his father. His mother. His friends. No one answered. His voice was leaving him. Then, it was barely a whisper. His legs gave out. His tears were drying up. And he sat before the water. Calm water, not unlike the water at home. Slow, small waves lapped at his feet and the boy began to resign to his fate.

He was going to live here. For the rest of his life. Alone, forever. But it wouldn't be long, he figured. He didn't have a fishing pole to catch fish. He didn't have wood or a match to start a fire. He didn't have a bed to sleep in or fresh water to drink (which he so desperately wanted at the moment). He would die and it wouldn't take long.

And he'd be alone.

He laid there, on the beach, for a long-long time. Waiting for fate to take him. He slipped in and out of sleep, unsure of how long he really slept for. He'd have panic attacks, right where he was. He would start crying and screaming again, hoping someone would find him. He was sure it had been days. Why hadn't his father found him yet? Hadn't he told him that if he ever got lost, all he had to do was stay put and he'd be found?

That was when he began to realize. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't been hungry. Maybe he was just so hungry his stomach became numb from hunger. He also hadn't had to go to the bathroom. Not that there was a bathroom to use, but it made him curious. It was probably all the delusion from hunger and thirst.

Maybe if he got to a high place… someone would see him. Sora got up again, dragging his feet as he pushed himself to find a boulder he could climb. When he finally found one, he struggled, kicking off his sandals as he did so. He felt so weak from all the crying. He sat on top until his bum hurt too much to sit anymore. He slid down until he felt better and climbed back up. It went like this for a long time.

He missed his father. He missed his mother. He missed his friends. He missed his bed. He missed his room. He missed his toys. He missed school. He missed his teacher. He missed his grandparents. He missed the sky and the ocean and Destiny Island.

But this place seemed large. From his place, he could see mountains and buildings in the distance, opposite of the dark waters. And, if he squinted, he could see the other side of them. There wasn't much around him plant wise. Dead grass. Some deader trees. More rocks with crazy shapes. But, there were buildings. Maybe there were people there. It seemed so far. He wondered if his little legs could ever get him there.

He contemplated. He was told if he was lost, he should stay put. Someone would find him, he was told. Someone would find him. Even if he was so far from where people  _should_ be. Maybe, just for a little while longer. Just a bit. Only a little longer.

And he was right to wait there. While he got up and down from the rock more times than he could count and finally stopped crying for longer than an hour, he was eventually found. Unfortunately, it wasn't his father. But it was a man he would soon grow to think of as one. Together, they were no longer alone.

"Hello up there." Sora looked down to the man who's face was shortly forgotten. "I saw your light. One that shines brighter than a star, I'd say."

Sora frowned. "I'm lost. Can you help me find my dad?"

"Where did you last see him?"

Sora hugged himself. "We were on the 'play island,' he calls it. He was building stuff."

"He is not in this realm, then?"

Sora shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't seen him for… a while." His vision began to blur and he rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them. "I wanna go home."

"Will you come down, little one?"

Sora knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. But this man's voice was kind. Gentle and easy to trust. He carefully climbed down, the man assisting him once he was within reach. When he reached the sand, the man crouched to his level, his eyes softening. Sora knew he was only going to hear bad news.

"Child, do you know where you are?" Sora shook his head. "This is the Realm of Darkness. There is no way out. I'm afraid I cannot take you home, as I so badly would like to. How did you find yourself here, child?"

His head spin. No way home? Was he… was he trapped here forever? For the rest of his life with nobody but this strange man? He began to shake, terrified. He just wanted to go home.

"I… I don't know." Sora stammered. His voice was growing thick with emotion. His voice hurt from all the crying and screaming previously. "There was this lady. She threw me here."

"Did she explain why?"

"N-N-Noooo," he wailed. "I want my daaaaaad!"

"There, there." The man placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Child, calm down. You're going to choke if you go on like that."

Sora tried. He tried his hardest to calm and it was much easier with someone there. He was no longer alone in this strange, dark place. Company had found him and if he were to spend eternity with someone, he was glad this man was so kind. After a few moments of the man hushing him and rubbing his back, he had quieted to silent tears.

"We're going to be here for a while, little one. What should I call you?"

"S-Sora."

"Well, Sora. Come with me. I will explain everything."


	2. Chapter 2

The man told him his name, which was forgotten as time passed. He explained the place they were trapped was called the Realm of Darkness. He was a scientist and was sent there by his apprentices because he wished to discontinue work they were keen to follow through on. The realm was a place where darkness thrived. There were things here that could harm them, but they were far and few. The man promised to protect him from the dark creatures and Sora believed him.

Sora was barely above the man's knee when they met. He believed he was five, but the man was quick to explain that time was impossible to tell. He told Sora he could have been alone on that beach for weeks or months before he had been found. It was entirely possible, especially since food and water and necessities had become incredibly unneeded. He hadn't been able to find out why, but he thought it had something to do with how time didn't really pass there.

The man had been alone for a long time. He felt like it had been years and years. It felt like almost an eternity, but it could have only been a month. There was no way to tell the time. His pocket watch had stopped. He didn't age. And trying to understand time was going to drive him insane.

If the man didn't age… would Sora age? Or would he remain a child in this eternity of darkness? Only time was able to tell that, yes. He was able to age and grow and learn.

The man asked him to describe in great detail the people who were important to him. And Sora did. He described his family and friends in the best way a child could. There wasn't as much detail as an adult could describe, but he did fairly well. The man deduced he must not have been there for too long.

"Think of them often, Sora." He said. "This place has a way of destroying the memories precious to you. The darkness will take them and leave you with nothing but an empty mind if you are not careful."

Nothing he told Sora about this place made him feel any better. It terrified him. He would lose his memories. He would forget those important to him. There was no way to leave. And monsters lurked in the darkest corners, waiting to devour his light. This place was a nightmare made real and he was never going to wake up.

The man was still amazed by Sora. "You are bright, my boy." He explained. "The brightest light I've ever seen. It could be because you are young and the darkness has yet to touch your heart. But you are still so bright. We will have to keep moving to make sure the monsters do not catch us."

"Because I'll attract them, right?" Sora asked, rubbing his arm. "Because the darkness tries to eat the light."

"Exactly. Darkness only wishes to devour light. But I will keep you safe, dear boy. Do not be afraid. It will bring the darkness into that shining heart of yours."

So, he trusted the man. He didn't question him. The boy had absolute faith in him, so when he discovered his obsession, he was thrown off. The man who was so kind to Sora, who taught him everything, was consumed with revenge. It seethed just under the surface, constantly ready to bubble to the surface.

He was angry with his apprentices. He wanted them to suffer worse than he had. Darkness was slowly eating the light in his heart and it wasn't something that he could easily hide. He tried, though. When Sora reached his navel, he wrapped his face in red fabric and told Sora to call him DiZ. He tried to keep the darkness at bay, but as time progressed, he was fueled more and more by his hatred.

He tried, though. He tried so hard to protect Sora from his own darkness. DiZ confessed to Sora that he was the reason he still had his heart. His need to protect the boy was much stronger than his need for revenge.

DiZ had done his best to raise this boy in this terrible environment. He taught him what he could with math and grammar. He learned to read and write, using sand and a stick as his notebook. Sora learned basic science, what he could learn about science with limited materials. There were things that had become lost to him when DiZ tried to explain the moon and how it affected the tides, the information was gone. The idea of the moon had vanished from his memory, so it became difficult to understand what DiZ was talking about.

This began to happen more frequently. DiZ would talk about something that was commonplace in the outside world. Green plants. Certain animals. Certain fruits. These things had become lost to him, just as DiZ had explained. It made learning a struggle. Why was DiZ able to remember these things, but not Sora? How could he remember when he had been here longer?

"I've been sacrificing other memories to keep my mind strong," DiZ explained. "I've forgotten people and places. I barely remember what my home was like. But I've kept my science and that is what keeps me sane. What do you find is keeping you sane, Sora?"

Sora frowned, thinking for a moment. It wasn't necessarily his home. But the people in it. The people he missed. His mother and father. His friends, Riku and Kairi. He knew he had other friends besides them. The ones he made his school. But he couldn't recall them. "I guess… the people my heart connected to." Sora met DiZ's eyes, his own blue ones full of determination. "Mom and Dad. Riku and Kairi. The four most important people to me."

"Then do not ever forget them, Sora." DiZ insisted. "Think of them constantly. Even if you must sacrifice other important memories to keep theirs alive."

Sora did his best. He thought of those most important people all the time. Where there was that rare discovery of paper, he used it to draw them. As he grew, he would write memories of them, even as they grew dimmer or dimmer. It felt as if this realm was all he knew. There were times when he truly believed he had always been here and that it had always been just him and DiZ and maybe these people he thought of were just his extremely vivid imagination. It was DiZ's teachings that reminded him there was a world outside of the Realm of Darkness.

Sora had never seen the monsters DiZ spoke of. He wondered if DiZ had made them up. When Sora asked about them, DiZ avoided the questions, simply telling him that he was lucky he had never seen them. Weren't adults supposed to tell children the opposite? Should he have been told there was no such thing as monsters and they were never in danger?

But DiZ was right. He wished he had never seen the monsters he had been warned of. It happened when DiZ was trying to explain to Sora how photosynthesis worked (even though it went over his still young mind, especially when the only plants he'd seen were dead so he wondered why he even needed to learn it). Sora sighed, believing he was going to die of boredom when he saw the movement. He was used to movement in structures and suspended debris. But this was different. Something twitched and scurried. It caught all of Sora's attention, which caught DiZ's attention.

"Hm?" DiZ followed Sora's gaze, which fell on the creature. "We've lingered too long. We must go."

"It doesn't look all that dangerous," Sora mused as he stood up. "Looks tiny."

"Because it is the weakest of it's kind." DiZ explained as the creature regarded them with interest. "Do not be fooled. It will still eat your heart."

DiZ turned to walk briskly away from the creature. Sora lingered a moment, his curiosity getting the best of him. The creature met his gaze and the two stood, watching each other, seeing what the other would do. Then, the monster sank into it's own shadow. The shadow  _moved_  at a terrifying rate towards the boy, jumping up in front of him. Sora screamed, falling back as the creature raised it's claws.

Before the creature could strike, the boy was dragged off. DiZ pulled him up and ran, his hand still gripping Sora's elbow. Sora kept up, although barely. DiZ's longer legs made him faster. It was one creature, but it was enough to terrify Sora and make DiZ declare relocation. Sora was right behind him.

They ran until Sora tired. He couldn't run anymore. How could DiZ run longer than him? He was younger, shouldn't he have more energy? Then again, he exerted more energy trying to keep up. The monster didn't seem to follow them, but DiZ insisted they kept moving. They were still too close to their previous location. So, after Sora caught his breath, they trudged forward.

They walked and walked, as they spent most of their time doing. As they did, Sora asked about the monster.

"It was going to kill me, wasn't it?"

"Yes and no." DiZ replied. "Those creatures feed on hearts. And what's left of you becomes one of them."

"You mean I could have turned into that?!"

"Yes, Sora." DiZ nodded. "I wish I could say otherwise, but you are in particular danger. Your heart shines so brightly, it attracts them."

"But, DiZ… how do you know? How can you see my light?" It was something Sora had wondered since he had met DiZ, but had not been able to ask. At first, it was fear and confusing. Then, it just seemed time had passed and it was just something Sora accepted. DiZ could see and do things Sora could not, like he was a superhuman being.

"I told you how I was a scientist, right?" DiZ began. "I studied the heart for a long time. Curiosity got the better of me. I'm afraid I had gone too far before I discovered it was too late. When I stopped, my apprentices didn't. But I had enough knowledge to know where to look to see the light and darkness in the heart of others."

"Can you teach me?"

"What would be the point, my dear boy? So you could see the darkness choking the light in my own heart? If you'll forgive me, I'd rather not show that to you, I'm afraid. It may instill a fear that you don't need because, no matter how dark my heart would get, your shining light will keep mine steady."

"Maybe I want to know that skill in case we get out of here." Sora frowned. "Then I'd know who I can trust."

DiZ laughed, if only briefly. Was he laughing at the idea they would get out? Did Sora's hope amuse him? That annoyed the boy. It wasn't a bad hope. And who knows? Maybe with all this walking, they'd find a way out of the Realm anyway. Maybe they'd just… walk out of there.

It was a silly hope, but hope nonetheless and it helped keep Sora's heart strong.

"Perhaps when you are older. You are still young. There is no need to introduce you to that sort of thing just yet."

"How tall do I have to be to learn it?" That was how Sora understood his age. His height and how it compared to DiZ's. There was no way to tell how many years had passed. Sora had no clue how old he was, and DiZ could not tell him either. DiZ guessed perhaps seven or eight, but Sora was also a small boy. He was small for a five year old when they had met, so it became impossible to tell his age.

"When you are as tall as my chin, I will teach you."

"But that'll be in a million years!" Sora whined.

"Perhaps I shall teach you biology next." DiZ mused.

The two continued their journey. They traveled through dismantled buildings and great fields of dried grass and shriveled flowers with bare trees and passed a river with dark waters until they reached a dry dessert of gray sand.

It made them stop and stare in awe. The ground was littered with countless objects embedded in the sand and rising mesas. The sight was unlike any they'd seen here. DiZ was not sure where the structures and landscapes came from, but this was certain a landscape that seems so out of place. A dessert, fine. But with all of those… what were they?

Sora approached a group of the objects. It seemed like a sword, being slightly longer than his arm. He grabbed the handle and pulled until it freed itself from the sand. Curious… he turned to DiZ.

"It looks like a key." Sora speculated.

"They're… they're Keyblades." DiZ breathed as he met Sora, taking the blade from his hand. "I never thought I'd see one ever again."

"A Keyblade? What's that?"

"Dear boy, it's a very special weapon. A sword that can unlock any door and vanquish any darkness." Sora listened as he pulled another blade from the soil. "It is the strongest sword imaginable."

"Can we use them?" Sora asked, swinging his blade.

"I'm afraid not," DiZ shook his head as he looked over the other blade, protruding like a patch of wildflowers. "These Keyblades are dead."

Sora swung the blade again and again, like he remembered from sparing with Riku. He knew he wasn't very good at it. Vague images of television shows came to mind where powerful men would fight each other with large swords. That was how you fought. He knew he'd never learn to fight like that since he had lost is partner in crime.

As he finished his final swing, there was a strong breeze, a distorted figure, and a deafening wail. Sora jumped back as DiZ pulled him behind him. As Sora dropped the Keyblade, the figure vanished. The two looked at one another. It was clear neither knew what happened.

"Don't worry," a voice said. They were both taken by surprise and jumped. A woman was approaching them. "They're only ghosts. They can't hurt you."

Sora peered around DiZ as he made an attempt to shield him. But... the woman seemed kind. She wore a friendly, if relieved smile. Her blue hair brushed passed her shoulders as she jogged to meet them. Her soft features crinkling as her blue eyes glassed over. Was she going to cry?

"Who are you?" DiZ asked. He was visibly relaxing, though still on guard.

"I am Master Aqua." She curtsied.

"You may call me DiZ. And this little one is—"

"Hi!" Sora ran out from around DiZ to face Aqua full on. "I'm Sora! How long have you been here?"

Master Aqua's eyes widened when they landed on Sora. Her puzzled expression moved from him to DiZ and back. She floundered for a moment before examining her hair. "Perhaps a few years?"

"Us, too! Why don't you stay with us?" Sora turned to DiZ. "Please, please, please, DiZ? Can she stay with us?"

DiZ examined the woman carefully, uncertainly before nodded. "If she wants to join us, she may."

Sora saw her face light up. She quickly wiped her eye, as if trying to hide her tears.

"Please, please, Master Aqua?"

"I… I would love to."


	3. Chapter 3

Sora was quick to befriend Aqua. He was glad to finally have someone other than DiZ to talk to. Sure, he liked talking to DiZ plenty, but he didn't have much of a sense of humor. And Aqua was a breath of fresh air or a refreshing glass of water. It felt easier with her around. She was a light in the darkness. A beacon through the gloom.

Maybe that's how DiZ saw the light and darkness in others? Nah.

Aqua had hope, too. She had been searching and trying to find her way out of the darkness, but always seemed to find herself back here. She knew what this place was. She called it a Keyblade Graveyard, the burial ground of an ancient war, back when Keyblades were common. The ghosts were all over the place, some from the side of light and others from the darkness, though neither could harm you.

Sora became incredibly intrigued by the Keyblade. He asked her about it, only wanting to know more. She was reluctant to answer his questions, but he dragged them out of her. Aqua explained how you got a Keyblade, where they came from, and how she knew so much about them.

"I'm a Keyblade master," she explained. "I trained my whole life and my own master deemed me worthy of the title."

"You have a Keyblade?!" Sora exclaimed. "Can I see it?!"

She held out her hand and there it was. A silver and red hilt with a black blade. A black keychain dangled from the end of the hilt baring the same symbol Aqua wore on her chest. She allowed Sora to hold it. It was heavier than he expected and almost as long as he was tall. She chortled at his struggle.

"That was my Master's."

"Why doesn't he have it?"

Her smile softened as she averted her eyes. "He gave it to me before he passed."

"Oh…" Sora frowned. "Sorry."

"It's fine," she said as she took the blade back. It clearly wasn't fine. But she certainly wasn't mad at him. "He was a good man. And I will miss him. But, he taught me well, and I hope to be able to pass on his knowledge someday."

"Maybe to me?" Sora sheepishly asked. He knew it was a longshot.

"Maybe," she humored him. "The Keyblade is very choosy about who wields it. It chooses it's wielder, not the other way around."

"So cool!" Sora bounced on his toes. "So, when do we do that inheritance ceremony?"

"Maybe when you're older."

Ugh. It was always when he was older. Why did he have to be so young? Why did he grow so slow? Why did time feel like it wasn't passing at all? He just wanted to be big and strong and get them out of this place. He wanted to be able to wield that powerful sword and be able to take care of himself.

As Aqua and DiZ spoke, Sora played with one of the dead Keyblades that were on the shorter side. He still had trouble lifting it, but he still wanted to get a good feel for it. If he was going to wield one someday and become a master, he should start practicing now.

Aqua and DiZ made no effort to keep Sora out of the conversation. It was all things Sora had heard before. How DiZ had found his way into the Realm of Darkness, why Sora was there, how awful it was a child had been thrown into this place. Blah blah blah.

"What about his parents?" Aqua asked.

"They are most likely still in their world." World? Huh. That didn't seem right.

"He probably misses them terribly."

"Ask him about it."

Sora frowned a bit. He wasn't exactly sure what they were talking about. Had to do with grown up stuff, he was sure. He would understand someday, it was just that today was not his day. He grunted as he swung the blade, crying out as the momentum swung him around.

"Sora, do you miss your parents?"

Sora huffed, turning to face them. "What are parents?"

Shock filled both of their faces. The adults turned to each other, looking for answers. Maybe parents were something he'd forgotten about? Like… maybe it was an animal that could be a pet or something. Sora didn't feel like he would miss his pets too much. Not when he had his friends to worry about.

"You know… your mother and father?" Aqua rephrased. Oh, way to confuse him more. Maybe she spoke another language and DiZ spoke it, too. Maybe he understood it and didn't realize Sora didn't. Sora shrugged and lifted the blade again, swinging downward.

"Sora, come here, my boy." Sora let out an exasperated sigh. That was usually the tone DiZ took when Sora was goofing off when he should have been serious. The boy shuffled his way over to the two of them, looking up at him and wondering if he was in trouble for something.

"Tell me about the people who are important to you." DiZ instructed like he did on a regular basis. DiZ wanted Sora to tell him, but never told Sora about his important people.

"My best friends, Riku and Kairi." Sora rattled off like he did a million times. "I've known Riku my entire life. He's like my brother. He likes to fight a lot. He has white hair and blue eyes and likes to wear a yellow. He's strong. And there's Kairi. I found her one night during a meteor shower, washed up on the beach. She's really pretty. She has red hair and blue eyes. She doesn't know where she came from or how she got to our beach, but the mayor adopted her. She's been with us for a year. She's the same age as me."

"Nobody else?" DiZ asked.

"Nope." Sora grinned, pounding his chest. "The darkness can't touch my memories of those two. The light in my heart is too strong."

"Of course…" DiZ frowned. "You may go back to playing now."

The glances DiZ and Aqua exchanged worried him, but he knew they would sort it out. That's what adults did. So, the boy went off to grab another blade. As he pulled one from the ground, a translucent figure rose from the ground. It caught Sora off guard, making him yell out and jump back. It did nothing but stare at him. Creepy, yes. Aqua said they were harmless, so Sora continued his search for the perfect Keyblade. Maybe he could get one like one of the ones in the graveyard.

He explored as they talked. Boring adult talk. He really wished he wouldn't get old enough to understand or get interested in boring adult talk. He supposed that was something he missed as well: children to play with. Playing by himself was sort of boring. But it was all he could do to keep himself occupied. If he just had to learn, he thought his head might explode from boredom.

Some things were interesting, yes. Like the monsters and hearts and the light and the darkness. And he really couldn't wait to learn about Keyblades. But photosynthesis?! What did he care about that? Where would he need to know that in his supposed lifetime in a realm where photosynthesis didn't occur?

Sora was curious about this war. He wanted to know more. It was something exciting, something worth learning about. It had to do with his surroundings now and there was magic involved. Actual magic! Magic was real! This woman was proof of it! These Keyblades, this dead land, that portal that he was thrown into, all of it was something he yearned to know more about.

And he did, alongside his normal studies. Aqua promised if he sat and paid attention to DiZ's lessons, she'd teach him what she knew. So, after his lessons, she taught him how to fight and the history behind the Keyblade and how the Keyblade wars started. But it seemed even DiZ was interested in the Keyblade studies. Aqua was an excellent teacher. She kept things interesting and pushed Sora to better himself.

The three of them spent a strangely long time in that Graveyard. Before they knew it, Sora reached DiZ's chest and was outgrowing his clothing.

Aqua was great with magic, though. She was able to take his clothes and stretch them to fit. It wasn't going to be a permanent solution, they would eventually have to find him clothing that would fit as he grew more, but it worked for now.

Sora still hadn't been given the right of passage. Aqua refused to pass him the Keyblade, and he had no idea why. Although he was fairly good at keeping his cool, it was starting to frustrate him. He thought he was a good student. He thought he was helpful. He thought he was doing well in both lessons, but it seemed he wasn't ready for it yet.

Sora didn't complain. The three of them together were all each other had. If Aqua and DiZ didn't think he was ready, then he probably wasn't. He respected them highly. There were times when one of the adults needed to be alone they would go off to be alone. They were still within eyesight. Sora didn't understand at first. Why would anyone want to be alone when they had been alone for so long? He certainly didn't.

Whenever DiZ tried to get some alone time before Aqua, he would have to wait until Sora went to sleep. Sora was terrified of being left alone. He freaked out beyond control. Why? He couldn't recall. DiZ had explained to him that it was because Sora had been alone in the Realm of Darkness at such a young age it scarred him. So, when left, that fear returned in full volume.

DiZ didn't explain why he needed to be alone. Sora figured it out eventually. He was wrestling with the anger and darkness and hatred for his apprentices. He didn't want the other to see the darkness trying to take his heart. Sora knew and believed in him. DiZ wouldn't let the darkness in. He was stronger than that.

Aqua would go off on her own, as well. Sora asked her why once. She explained she was sad for her friends. She had a friend who was sleeping in the remains of her home world. She was afraid she wouldn't be there when he woke up. And her other friend was taken by a man filled with darkness. She allowed herself to fall into the Realm of Darkness in his stead. She searched for a way out. She wanted to help her friends. She couldn't and it upset her sometimes, so she needed to be alone to control herself.

"Home world?" Sora asked.

"Yes. The world I came from. What about your world? Where did you come from?"

"Destiny Island." Aqua opened her mouth, as if she realized something. He interrupted her in his excitement. "You mean there's other worlds out there?!"

"Y-Yes. Many. Do you remember the stars?" Sora nodded, grinning. "The stars are the light that shines from the hearts of other worlds. Each star is a new world with people that have their own lives and stories."

"Where are you from?" Sora asked, still excited.

"The Land of Departure."

"Cool!" Sora turned to DiZ who had found a new scrap of paper to write on. "What about you, DiZ? Where are you from?"

Sora had always assumed DiZ was also from Destiny Island. It was a small island and as a child he knew a very limited number of people. He was sure there were a lot of people he didn't know, including DiZ. And he might have assumed that Aqua, too, was from Destiny Island. He should have known better. She was full of magic and there was no magic on Destiny Island.

"Radiant Garden."

"Oh! That sounds so pretty!"

"It was a beautiful world."

"I've been there," Aqua countered. "To both worlds." Sora's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She was at Destiny Island?

Aqua smiled as Sora asked for an elaboration. Aqua explained how she traveled the worlds in search of her friends, trying to bring them home. The search lead to Radiant Garden, where she spent a considerable amount of time searching. And as for Destiny Island….

"I was passing by. It was a world I had wanted to see for a long time. There was this legend that originated there and… well, Sora, I believe that's where we first met."

Sora blinked. Once. Twice. "Eh?!" He didn't understand. Aqua? On Destiny Island? They'd met before? He didn't remember. He was sure he'd remember if he saw her! She was so cool! How could he forget someone like her?

"You were younger. This small." She motioned to around her thigh. "I met you and Riku. Only once. I wouldn't be surprised if you had forgotten before you even came to this realm."

"Really? Really, really? What happened?" Sora urged. He wanted to try to remember her. He was trying so hard to recollect forgotten memories and maybe this was one he could dredge back to the surface.

"It wasn't anything special…" Aqua started as she went on to tell him. She was on the Island when she saw Sora and Riku racing. Riku won, which didn't surprise Sora. Aqua recalled how when she approached them, the two boys reminded her of her friends. Riku had sincere eyes, much like Terra. And Sora was the spitting image of Ventus (that much hadn't changed). She pondered if she should pass the Keyblade to either of them, but decided against it.

"Riku already had the mark." Aqua explained. "One Keyblade is more than enough for a friendship." She shook her head. "I didn't want your friendship to end up like mine."

Riku? Riku would be able to wield the Keyblade? When? How did this happen? Who passed it to him? Why him? Yes, Sora was happy for him. The boy had the power to expand his reach, farther than he ever thought possible. When Sora felt a twinge of jealousy, he quickly squashed it.

"Really? That's so cool!" Sora stretched his arms behind his head. "Yeah, it's probably for the best. Riku would be better suited for it, anyway. He's stronger."

"Do you remember what I told you, Sora?" Aqua asked, already knowing the answer. Sora shook his head. "I asked you to stay beside your friend and make sure he does not go down the path of darkness…"

"I know I can't be there for him physically. But… he's always in my heart. And I know I'm in his." Sora shrugged, kicking the dirt. "Besides, he's got Kairi to keep an eye on him."

"And I'm sure she will take up the mantle just fine." Aqua smiled.

Sora only became more curious. He wondered if Kairi was from another world, since she so clearly wasn't from his own. He wondered if eventually his friends would find themselves in other worlds. Especially with Riku's Keyblade. He wished he could join them. He wished he was with them more than anything at that moment.

When Aqua told him about his memory, he thought he was remembering it. DiZ reminded him that sometimes the mind created memories that did not exist. If told something happened, it would create and put together images to create a false memory and Sora should not be fooled by them.

Sora liked to pretend, though. He liked to lay on the ground as he fell asleep and imagine a life he could have had. He imagined playing with Riku and Kairi every day and eating chocolate and things that seemed mundane but were all Sora ever hoped for. He wanted to return home and have a normal life. He also wanted to explore the worlds with his friends. He came up with fantastic imaginary worlds the three of them would explore when they were big enough. A world made of candy with race cars made of the stuff. A frozen kingdom made of ice on top of a snowy mountain (he had never seen it, but he imagined what it was like with DiZ's help). Perhaps a world where they became animals and had to help a frog prince and a girl return to normal after they had some crazy mix up? In these places, there would be music. There would be life and bright colors.

Sora hoped that if he fooled himself into believing some fake memories, it was these. Ones of adventure and excitement and his two best friends in the whole world.


	4. Chapter 4

As Sora lived in the Keyblade Graveyard, he had made friends. Not any ordinary friends, either. Some of the ghosts that wandered the Graveyard were coherent and completely aware of their surroundings. He discovered their lucidity based on their rage levels when they died. The ones filled with hate and darkness became more like demons, possessing nothing but the anger they felt before they died.

 _“Those poor souls were mostly on the side of darkness,”_ a man in armor reflected. His corporeal form flickering in and out of existence. _“They let it take over them and dominate them. That is the fate of those that do not allow the light in their hearts to thrive.”_

As Sora spoke with the man, he learned how sad the man had become. He wanted nothing more than to leave this Graveyard and move on. He was tied to his Keyblade, unfortunately. And destroying the remains of the Keyblade would do nothing.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sora asked, looking down from his place on the boulder he had climbed. He wondered if Aqua and DiZ would be looking for him soon. He had been told not to speak with the ghosts, no matter how good they seemed. They feared he would fall victim to a trap. But this man, Cullen, was sincere.

 _“I’m afraid not, Sora.”_ The man standing beside him gazed over the field. _“There would be no way to transport me out of this realm to release me.”_

“Do you know how to get _us_ out of here?”

Cullen shook his head solemnly. _“I am sorry.”_

“Well, I’m going to find a way out of here someday.” Sora declared. “There’s no way to take you with me, is there?”

Cullen snorted. _“You have a strong heart, boy. One that is strong enough to carry other hearts with you. But I would not ask that of you. I would not wish to burden you with my heart.”_

“Well… it’s not a burden.” Sora stood up, his bare feet finding proper footing. “We’re friends, right? Maybe I can try to carry your heart. And, if it’s too much, I’ll let you go. How does that sound?”

_“Sora, no. I should never had suggested—”_

“Seriously. You belong with your family. I want to help get you there.”

Cullen considered the boy with worry in his eyes and regret etched in his frown. _“Sora, for this kindness, I will grant you my strength. If you are ever in need, take my power and use it as your own.”_

“Does that mean I get a Keyblade?” Sora asked a little _too_ hopefully.

Cullen snorted. _“It does not work that way, child. But, if you hone your natural abilities, mine will come far easier to you.”_

“Aw, okay,” Sora grinned as he folded his hands behind his head. “So much for hoping. So, how do we do this?”

_“Give me your hands.”_

Sora did as he was instructed. He took Cullen’s hands in both of his. It was strange… there was nothing there to touch, but he could feel the shape just as if he were real. Cullen closed his eyes, inhaling. As he exhaled, he became light that Sora absorbed. It did not hurt. It felt… warm. Sora touched his chest, wondering if Cullen would like it in his heart.

This was not the first ghost he would accept. When DiZ and Aqua needed their time to themselves, leaving him on his own, he was never alone. Their time in the Keyblade Graveyard was spent the longest, but to Sora, it felt the shortest. He made many friends and helped many people, promising to help them move on. He wasn’t sure how he was going to release their hearts when he left this Realm. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Perhaps Cullen’s heart would tell his own and he would just _know_.

He never told them what he had been up to. It was his own secret to keep. They both clearly kept their own, so why couldn’t he have his? He felt this way that he would never been alone. He had lost count of the hearts he had accepted into his, which meant he had a crowd of friends with him.

He wondered if he annoyed DiZ and Aqua. Maybe that was why they needed to be alone. They were always so sad or angry and Sora was always just… hopeful. Bright. He was always so happy. And it seemed to make them all wonder just _why_. Even though DiZ and Aqua had protected him for so long, they didn’t actually expect his light to stay this strong.

“Perhaps he has help,” DiZ wondered aloud when Aqua was praising him for it. She envied his strength against the darkness and was very proud he had not fallen near it. “It would explain why his heart is as powerful as it is.”

Sora worried. Did they know he was taking in strays like lost animals? It didn’t seem to change how bright he was. Neither made a comment about him growing brighter or dimmer. His heart was a constant.

“You think his heart is connected with another’s?” Aqua snorted. She couldn’t believe something like that. “When would he have had the chance to do that as a child?”

“New hearts have always been a mystery to me.” DiZ shrugged. “It is possible they could act on their own in a much more powerful way than any other.”

“DiZ. You’re speaking nonsense.” Aqua urged. Sora had known it was for his own good. Sometimes, DiZ scared Sora. He would speak of his old experiments in great detail, what he learned about the heart and what could be gained from more research. Aqua had to stop him, especially when he brought up his apprentice called Xehanort.

DiZ needed a push. He needed to remember why he stopped in the first place. The experiments were inhumane and would only bring about pain. They created those monsters that roamed this Realm. They were probably terrorizing his world, since his apprentices continued where he left off, delving deeper and deeper into darkness.

But Aqua looked at him with those eyes. Those eyes that were always curious, searching him for some sort of answers to questions he couldn’t hear. He wanted to give her answers, he really did. She never voiced them. She kept them locked in her heart, along with the memories of her friends and their plight she could not save them from.

He knew she was wondering if DiZ was right. There was a spark of hope in those blue eyes.

He wished he could give them more hope. He wanted them to see this world through his eyes. A dark, scary place that was not inescapable, but just so vast, the door was proving difficult to find. This was a growing Realm with so much to see, yet little to do. It wasn’t driving him insane, like his adults. It was boring the snot out of him.

Then, they began arguing again. DiZ insisted it wasn’t like he would start his experiments again and Aqua told him even thinking about it was bringing his heart deeper into darkness. Sora knew better than to stick around when they argued. He got up, walking away but staying within sight.

He hated when they fought. Aqua was terrified of the darkness in people’s hearts and DiZ seemed to slowly be accepting it. Yes, Sora was scared for DiZ. He didn’t want him to fall into darkness. But he couldn’t get involved with the fighting. It only upset him. What if Aqua left him? And if she did, then what if DiZ fell?

Sora hated thinking about that.

He was used to the Graveyard. He had accepted this as his home. Growing by several centimeters since their arrival, he wondered if they would simply stay here. The monsters seemed to avoid this place. Perhaps it was all the Keyblades. DiZ said it could vanquish any darkness, right? Then there must be some residual power in these many, many Keyblade that kept them at bay….

Until today.

Sora had grown accustomed to the movements of the ghosts. He had lost the need to keep watch of danger when they met Aqua. Two eyes around them were better than one. He was caught off guard when a shadow rushed at him. He thought maybe it was an angry spirit until it rose from the ground, lunging for him. The boy cried out, throwing himself back and reaching behind him. He sought for a broken Keyblade when he felt metal in his hand. He grunted as he swung at the monster, hitting it across the creature’s head. It dazed it for a moment, giving Sora the chance to run. At his feet, more shadows cropped up.

“DiZ! AQUA!” Sora cried as he ran towards them. He huffed, tripping over himself. As he spit out dirt, Aqua ran past him, her Keyblade at the ready. DiZ lifted Sora to his feet, bowing to his level.

“Are you alright?” DiZ asked.

“Yeah,” Sora panted, looking back at Aqua as she fought the monsters. It looked like there were too many of them. He wanted to help her. She expertly eliminated them, her eyes full of determination, her magic dispersing them easily.

She was amazing to watch. DiZ had pulled him out of his trance when one escaped her onslaught and made straight for Sora. DiZ pushed the boy out of the way, telling him to run. But something in Sora told him otherwise. He wasn’t sure what it was. He just knew he had to fight it.

Sora swung the Keyblade still in his hand above his head and slammed down on the creature as it charged at him. The Keyblade easily sliced through it, making it burst into darkness, a heart rising out of the black cloud.

“Sora, come.” DiZ commanded.

“But—Aqua!”

“Right behind you!” Aqua yelled as she sliced through more monsters.

The two of them got a head start. Aqua didn’t lie when she said she was right behind them. She kept the monsters at bay long enough for DiZ and Sora to escape before quickly catching up. Sora assumed she used magic of some sort to do so, because she did _not_ run that fast. The three ran until they exhausted themselves, far, far away from the Keyblade Graveyard.

It took a minute for them to catch their breath. They couldn’t afford to stay where they were for very long, so they used their time wisely. Sora had yet to release the Keyblade in his hand. He kept a tight grip on the weapon as he wheezed, falling to his knees. He hadn’t had to run like that in a long time. But he was faster. He could keep up now.

“They’re… evolving.” DiZ finally said after he caught his breath.

“How so?” Aqua asked, wiping sweat from her face.

“I assumed what kept them at bay was your Keyblade.” DiZ explained. “They fear what could destroy them. Now, they do not. They went right for you, Master Aqua.”

“I think they went for Sora, first.” Aqua turned to the boy, frowning. “Sora, what’s that you have there?”

“Hm?” Sora lifted the Keyblade. “I just grabbed to protect myself. I guess there was enough power left in it to destroy one of those… things.”

“No… no,” Aqua crouched before him, running her hand over the silver shaft. “No, this one is very much _alive_ , Sora.” She met his eyes, hers widening. “Where did you get this?”

Uh, oh. It couldn’t be one of theirs, could it? No way. Sora was sure it was just a blade he grabbed from the Graveyard. He couldn’t summon one. And Cullen said he wouldn’t be able to. Cullen told Sora that it was impossible, Keyblades don’t work like that. Then how was this in his hands? A perfectly living Keyblade, one with the power to destroy those creatures of darkness and immense power that radiated from it, much like the Master’s Defender.

“I… I don’t know.” Sora said truthfully. “Here, take it.” He pushed it into her hands. “There’s probably some kind of mix up, right? You didn’t pass the Keyblade to me. You said I didn’t have the mark. There’s gotta be a mistake.”

As he set his hands back on the ground, the Keyblade in her hands shimmered out of existence and metal met his right palm. Looking down, the blade was back in his hand. He wasn’t sure what to feel. Confusion, excitement, happiness, dread. It all rose within him.

How was he able to hold the Keyblade? He was not an apprentice. The only Master that was able to pass it to him refused to. Where did it come from? Did it _choose_ him? We it different from the other Keyblades in the sense that it found it’s own wielder?

At the same time… _he had a Keyblade!_ He had a real Keyblade that deemed him worthy to carry it. That meant when he got back home, Riku wouldn’t be leaving him in the dust. In fact, Sora might surpass _him_. Sora had a Master to teach him. He had a means to practice. He and Riku could travel the worlds as equals.

Maybe with this strength, he could get them home. This was the key to the beginning of their journey home. Sora could feel it. They were close. Before long, they were going to get out of there. He could see his friends again. He could feel the sun and see the stars. He would be _home_.

Sora had finally gotten what he’d been asking for since he met Aqua: A Keyblade of his very own. The question was… why? How? Sora did not have the mark that told the Keyblade was passed to him. He wasn’t sure why the Keyblade would choose someone a Master hadn’t deemed fit enough to carry it. He knew Aqua and DiZ would start questioning him when he had no answers to give. He was just as clueless as them.

He gave Aqua a sheepish grin. “Am I in trouble??


	5. Chapter 5

The three of them were clearly at a loss. Sora had seemingly grasped a Keyblade from nothing and, while the boy didn’t question it, it confused the two adults. They constantly questioned him as they moved to their next destination. Sora had no answers to give, but only one question of his own.

“So, Aqua, will you train me? For real this time?”

He wanted to start right away. He only wanted to help fight off the monsters that DiZ predicted would continue to pursue them. He didn’t want Aqua and DiZ to fight for him. He wanted to be able to protect himself and help Aqua. She was the only one with the power to destroy them, and now Sora could too.

Aqua had her reservations. She did want to train him to ensure he would not get hurt. But the Keyblade from nowhere worried her. She didn’t know what to make of it. She knew it would only put Sora in more danger. His heart was so full of light and adding a Keyblade on top of it only made it worse.

“I… I suppose I’ll have to.” Aqua resigned.

Sora pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!” he exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Thank you, Aqua!” The boy rushed in to hug her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

This was a mystery that would not be solved for a very long time. Eventually, it became a fact the adults would accept and allowed Sora to grow from it. He did as he was told. Sora was an obedient child who was eager to train. He followed DiZ’s lessons and trained much harder with Aqua. Eventually, even DiZ joined in with the training. He felt Aqua was going too easy on Sora and Sora always enjoyed a challenge.

They didn’t stay in one place very long. Mostly through one “sleep cycle,” as DiZ called it. Each in turn, one would sleep while the other two kept an eye out. Once everyone had their chance to sleep, they would move on. They didn’t always get through a sleep cycle. The monsters would find them and they would have to run again.

When Sora reached DiZ’s nose, they were caught by monsters for the umpteenth time. It became routine. Aqua would fight as Sora and DiZ escaped and then she’d catch up. This time, DiZ did not run. He told Sora to fight. He said it would make good practice, especially since there were not too many of them.

Sora was all for it, but he had to obey his Master. Aqua ordered him to stand down and run. As Aqua fought, her and DiZ argued. Sora would push against the monsters that came at him with ease. They were the smaller ones. Shadows, he’d call them. Since they relied on hiding in their own shadow.

Sora _really_ hated when they fought. They were both looking out for his best interest; he knew that. DiZ could be a little intense sometimes and Aqua was too easy on him. They could balance him out if the two of them would stop fighting and work together. It wasn’t like Sora tried to stop their fighting before. He had on many occasion, yet, they would push him out of it. He was stubborn, but so were they.

“ENOUGH!” Sora yelled, releasing all of his pent up annoyance. Light spread from his feet out by a three-foot radius, evaporating the creatures that were close enough to him. The boy huffed, scowling at the two of them. “All you guys do is fight over me or the darkness or the light. We’re all we have, so stop it, alright?! You’re both wrong! All the time! You each take everything to one extreme! Neither of you have balance and that’s what’s driving you insane!”

His voice cracked, which annoyed him. He felt like it made his emotion sound weaker and it might not get through to them. DiZ explained it was a normal part of puberty. Changes were going to occur, even if he didn’t want them to. His voice would change, he’d grow body hair, and a whole bunch of other things he really wished he didn’t have to experience.

They were silent. Aqua finished the last of the creatures and the three of them stood, awkwardly regarding the teenager who felt the need to lecture them at the worst time.

“Do you really think that’s it, Sora?” DiZ asked.

“Well, you guys are going crazy and I’m not.” Sora replied plainly. Defiance was apparently another part of this puberty thing. It was an attempt to be recognized as an equal. Sora was no longer a child, he should have a say in what happens, too. They were all involved here, not just those two. He would like to be included in their plans.

It didn’t help that he was also super cranky from having his sleep interrupted. He called first sleep shift when they settled.

“Sora, we—” Aqua started.

Sora was quick to cut her off. “Just because you guys raised me doesn’t mean you always know what’s best for me. You always fight. Even when you shouldn’t be. See that? What just happened there? They were weaklings, Aqua. I could have taken on a few and been okay.” He noticed DiZ smiling. He rounded on him. “Don’t think you’re never wrong, either! You shouldn’t ask me to go against what Aqua says, DiZ. She’s my Master. You’re my teacher. You teach me by choice, she teaches me by necessity. She can absolutely decide at any point to stop. I don’t want that.”

Sora dismissed his Keyblade and threw his hands up in the air, making a noise of frustration. “Let’s just go, okay?”

The three of them began their trek to their new location. The silence between them was the most awkward it’s ever been. Sora led the way for once. He always just figured they picked a direction and went in it. The two adults trailed behind him.

Well, Sora couldn’t say Aqua was an adult. The older he got, the younger she seemed. She had told him she was seventeen when she was thrust into darkness. She hadn’t aged a day. Her hair grew, though. It fell past her elbows now and was usually tied in a loose braid.

It made him wonder… even if she was so young and carried a heart with light, she never aged. Would he ever stop ageing in this realm? Would he eventually grow older than her? Would he grow older than DiZ? What would happen after that?

Maybe then he’d be their boss. Sora chuckled at the thought.

As the scenery changed drastically from and old wharf to a foggy cobblestone street, he glanced behind him. DiZ stopped. Aqua stepped forward, looking past Sora with a curious expression. She recognized something.

“No…”

Sora and DiZ met each other’s gaze. Both didn’t quite understand. They turned back to Aqua who continued down the street, into the fog. Sora and DiZ followed behind her, not wanting to lose her. Sora kept going until he literally bumped into her. She didn’t even seem to notice that she had stopped.

Sora followed her gaze. “Whoah…” Ahead, up high, in a cloud of darkness, there was a castle. Tilted and broken, it hung in space like a long forgotten toy in water.

“The Castle of Dreams…”

“Hm?” DiZ asked, standing beside her. “You’ve been here?” Aqua nodded, her eyes filling with sadness. “That’s odd, isn’t it? The second world you’ve been too… and it’s found it’s way here.”

“They’re being destroyed.” Aqua stated confidently. “There’s something going on in the universe and it’s not good.”

“Why would someone want to destroy worlds?” Sora asked.

“For the light in their hearts.” DiZ replied. “The light is powerful. There’s not much you _can’t_ do with it.”

“And someone is collecting them.” Aqua’s fists clenched, her mouth tightening. Her voice became much lower. “It’s him. It has to be.”

When she was questioned, she refused to speak. She turned, suggesting they kept moving. So, they did until they found their next place to sleep. It took a long time to find their next place. Usually, it was until Sora could no longer walk, since he was no longer able to be carried. But it had been a long time since then, and they were forced to stop when DiZ could no longer keep going.

They found a cave, which should give them sufficient cover. It blocked the light from becoming a beacon for the dark creatures, if only temporarily. Within the cave, he slept deeply, even with DiZ and Aqua’s hushed voices echoing off the walls. He had grown used to noise and the hard ground. It was all he knew. Usually, by the time it was his turn to sleep, he was exhausted. Training was exhausting and it felt like he hadn’t sleep in, what DiZ and Aqua described as, “days.”

When he woke up on his own time, he felt groggy. It became more and more impossible to wake up and actually _feel_ awake. He could have slept for twice as long as Aqua did and still felt like he should sleep more.

It was DiZ’s turn to sleep. Aqua led Sora further down the cave into a wider opening. It glowed with blue crystals that Sora had seen often around this realm. The cave felt… familiar somehow. He shrugged it off as he took his stance to practice his forms. While it was nice not to have DiZ telling him to repeat his forms over and over again, he felt as if he were gaining less from Aqua’s lessons.

This time was different. Aqua stepped it up a notch, producing motionless bubbles of light around the cave for Sora to practice on. As Sora grew accustomed to the stationary targets, they began to _move_. When they had finished, Sora collapsed on the stone floor, sweat drenching him from head to toe. He wished they were near a water source so he could bathe. When was the last time they had been able to do that?

Aqua laid across from him, resting her head next to his right ear. She showed no signs of exhaustion. Unspoken words hung in the air. Sora knew Aqua wanted to tell him something. He let her take her time. She would open up as long as she wasn’t pushed.

“You were right,” Aqua said quietly. “I’ve been too soft on you. You have so much potential, but… I’m scared for you. I want to protect you. I don’t want what happened to me happen to you, so I’ve been sheltering you so much, it may be hindering you.”

“Aqua,” Sora sighed, grinning. “I’m already in the Realm of Darkness. What happened to you has already happened to me.”

“It’s… not that simple.” She shook her head. “I realize I’m falling into old habits and making the same mistakes. And for that, I’m so sorry. I’ll take training you more seriously from now on.”

“Hey,” Sora chewed his lip, afraid to ask her what he had wanted to for so long. He knew he could learn from it if she would tell him the truth. He knew she would never share if DiZ were around and listening. “Can you tell me what happened? To you and your friends?”

She was hesitant. Silence fell between them for a long time before she spoke up. Sora was sure she wasn’t ready to tell him, not yet. But, the length of the thought gave him hope.

She told him. She told him everything. From the day she became a Keybalde Master to the day she fell into the Realm of Darkness. She described in detail the worlds she had visited and the people she helped along the way. She told him of the times she felt like she had lost them both because they were angry with her. She was only doing as she was asked. She only wanted to bring them home. She did her best to protect them and still lost them to the darkness.

“So… Terra’s possessed by Xehanort.” Sora chewed on the thought for a moment. “It’s the same Xehanort that DiZ took in, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Aqua nodded, rubbing her face. “I didn’t tell DiZ because… I want to see if I can help Terra before he tries to exact his revenge.”

“Do you think DiZ will do it?” Sora asked.

“I know he will. His hatred runs too deep.”

Sora frowned. He wished he had been able to soothe the anger that built up in the man that raised him. It only seemed to get worse the longer they were in this realm. It hurt to watch…

“You know… DiZ isn’t his real name.” Sora said softly. “I don’t remember his name… or his face that well. He covered it and changed his name a long time ago. But… I do remember he used to be kind. His face put me at ease and his name felt strong. He changed it because it was stolen or something like that. I don’t remember the details.”

“I figured,” Aqua sighed. “A man who tries to leave behind who he was believes that his past self was weak.”

“He’s only getting weaker…”

Sora worried for DiZ. He knew there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t for lack of trying to it being too late to change his mind. It was that the man was too stubborn. Sora knew and understood. He was stubborn as well, but in the opposite sense. He refused to let anger and hate cloud his heart. Negative feelings made it easier for the darkness to enter and he felt he was strong enough to let go of them.

The two fell back into silence. Aqua’s big secret was out and Sora wouldn’t tell DiZ. Aqua meant too much to him and she was only trying to do some good. He hoped when they got out of this realm, Aqua would be able to awaken Ven and save Terra. Sora would help her every step of the way.

He wondered if DiZ would leave them to pursue his own goals. The idea made his heart ache…

“Aqua… I… I kind of have a secret, too.” Sora bit his lip. Wait. What was it? He furrowed his brows, trying to remember. “It… it had something to do with the Keyblade Graveyard… something that happened there…” He struggled, trying to find the lost memories. What happened to them? He tried to keep those memories safe. “I can’t remember.”

Aqua chortled. “You’re very good at keeping secrets. I can tell, because you forget them.”

“But… this was something really important. Because I made a promise and I can’t… What did I do?” Sora sat up, holding his head. He needed to remember. He thought he had brought the memories to the front of his mind enough for him to remember. Wait. No. He brought up the idea that he had a secret.

No, no. Why was he forgetting? This wasn’t fair. How did Aqua and DiZ keep their important memories in tact when he couldn’t? First, he had forgotten about his parents (when the family dynamic was finally explained to him, he was distraught for so long). He forgot how to read at one point and was relearning that. The only memories that rang clear in his mind were the ones from training and two names whose meanings were starting to fade.

“Aqua…” he felt tears sting his eyes. “This was important. I made a promise and I kept it a secret because I was going to get in trouble and now I don’t remember what it was.”

He felt her hands on his shoulders. He struggled, trying to pull them from his subconscious. Nothing. What was it about? Who did he even make a promise to?

“Did it have to do with the Keyblades?” Aqua inquired helpfully. “Maybe the ghosts?”

That was it. Sora twisted to face her, grinning. “Yeah! Yeah, the ghosts!” He laughed. Good save. He was so close to forgetting. “I talked to them. A lot of them.” He grinned from ear to ear. Aqua frowned. She was specific about him not talking to them. “I made them a promise I’d help them move on.” As she opened her mouth, he quickly talked over her. “They’re not all bad! Like, ninety-nine percent of the ones I talked to were from the side of light. They were all such good people. And I was careful, like you said.”

“Sora, how exactly do you plan to help them move on?” Aqua asked. “They’re trapped in this realm. Worse, they’re trapped in the Keyblade Graveyard, or what remains of it.”

“I…” he drew a blank. “I don’t know.” Sora frowned. “I just… I knew I wanted to help them and I promised I would. I don’t know how. But… I want to keep my promise.”

She placed a hand on his head. It soothed him as he leaned into her touch. “You’re such a good person, Sora. The truth is… you can’t always help everyone. No matter how much you try.”

It hurt to know that. It really did. What if he couldn’t help those that should move on? He swore to them and he might have to break that promise. Maybe when they escaped, he would find some way and he could come back to help them. He could hope. He could try.

The issue still stood: They still needed to escape the Realm of Darkness. Little did they know, the day was soon approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one, I wanted some more character development between them so we could establish where they were at. Sora's supposed to be about eleven turning twelve in this chapter. Sort of at that stage where you don't want to be seen as a child anymore and it's starting to show.


	6. Chapter 6

Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out. Count. One-two-three-four-five-six. One-two-three-four-five-six. Move your foot here. No, wait, here. Your hand should be flat and your elbow bent at this angle. No, a little straighter. Take in your stance. Is it perfect? Again. Again until it's perfect.

Sora practiced. A lot. It was all he could do when DiZ and Aqua were going through their "rough patches." Aqua was in no position to train him and DiZ was even worse. He would snap at Sora when he didn't understand or seemed ignorant to a common thing in the outside world. He lost his patience much easier and it made Sora not want to learn.

So, Sora would step away from them. They'd be in sight and earshot. But he needed to be _away_  from them. Practicing his forms made it easier to calm down. He knew he shouldn't be angry. They were being affected by this place. With each exhale he let go of his negative feelings. He was never angry for long.

Sora watched his hand as it turned so carefully. This form was used for meditation. How could it help him? As Sora thrust his hand forward, the Keyblade shimmered into his palm. He brought it back, turning so carefully and precisely.

Kingdom Key. That was the name of his Keyblade. He wasn't sure how he knew. Aqua had told him that all Keyblades had names. That was how they worked. It was like a whisper in the back of your mind and a bond began forming.

The Keyblade was an extension of yourself, he was told. But… what if it could extent  _further_? He mulled over the idea. He thought of the moved "strike raid" and how the Keyblade always came back to him. What if… maybe… he could modify it to stay close. In proximity so he could still grab it, but at the same time, strike an enemy just out of reach?

He focused. As he extended his arm, he opened his palm and the metal continued to extend. He did it! He blade hovered just beyond his fingertips. Don't lose focus. Keep going. Step. Pull back. Lunge. Turn. Keep going. Just a tiny bit farther. Good. Nice form. Again. Again. Next form. Again. Again. He messed up. Once more.

"Sora, what are you doing?"

The blade dropped into the sand with a heavy  _thunk_. Sora cursed. Aqua broke his concentration.

"Extending my reach," he explained as he lifted the Keyblade.

"Yes, but  _how_?"

This was clearly not a technique Aqua knew of. Her wide eyes clearly expressed that. And the fact she didn't reprimand him for using such language like she usually would. Maybe she just hadn't thought of it yet? She could always learn, he figured.

"I just… I guess modified strike raid a bit. Thinking, you know, this could be used for closer enemies. But still stay within arms reach."

"Show me."

Sora inhaled as he slid back into position. Exhaled as he lunged as he stretched his arm out, the Keyblade continuing. Yes! He was able to do it again! He went through the moves once more, taking the Keyblade in his hand as he finish.

"See? Easy."

"No, Sora," Aqua walked up to him, pride gleaming in her eyes. "That's an incredibly advanced technique. Master Eraqus couldn't do that. That was… amazing. It was like… like telepathy."

He couldn't imagine it being that difficult. All he did was focus. Yes, he needed every ounce of willpower to move the Keyblade that far, but it still wasn't that difficult. He was sure if he walked Aqua through it, step-by-step, she could do it, too. He even tried. He tried to get her to listen to him and she humored him by allowing him to teach her for once only for her to fail. He insisted they kept trying and they did. She didn't get it. She didn't pick up on it. She was this great and powerful Keyblade Master who didn't get this simple technique.

So, Sora continued to try and master it. He practiced until it was the easiest thing in the world. Then, he pushed further. And further. Then, attacked. He kept at it until he could attack with a simple thought and wouldn't have to move on step towards the enemy. He still had to move his arm and body. He imagined it like a long and flexible arm that gripped the Keyblade, moving it where he commanded.

It only amazed DiZ and Aqua. But this was only the beginning of it. They adjusted their training to suit his abilities, which were rapidly growing. He learned new attacks with ease and spells were a piece of cake to master (whatever cake was).

He only wanted to better himself. He thought he was nowhere near as amazing as Aqua. When he watched her fight, he became mesmerized. It was like watching the flow of water. She was so graceful it hurt to know he'd never be that smooth when fighting.

She allowed him to help dispose of the creatures more and more often. If they weren't the big baddies, she'd even let him take care of them on his own. DiZ eventually realized they had a name. They were called "Heartless." Sora wasn't sure why since whenever he defeated one a heart would rise from the remaining, yet quickly fading, black cloud. They most certainly had a heart.

They had been caught up to again. It was just the little ones, so Aqua was kind enough to let Sora take care of them. It was easy. He'd done it a million times before. He'd sent Kingdom Key out to take care of the monster so he could practice his distance. It plowed through the lesser beings way too easily.

One snuck up on him. It scratched him from behind. Ouch! Those claws hurt so damn much! He almost lost concentration. Turning to the Shadow, he grit his teeth. He needed Kingdom Key back right this second. Oh, man, what he wouldn't give to have a second Keyblade right now. That would make multitasking so much simpler.

The second he thought it, a Keyblade appeared in his hand. One slice and the monster was done. Sora gripped the hilt with both hands, thinking how different it felt for a brief moment until he realized… Kingdom Key was still out there. As it was about to slice through the very last Heartless, it dropped to the ground with a clatter. But… what was he holding…?

That could wait. He lunged for the Shadow and quickly was rid of it. He picked up Kingdom Key and turned to Aqua and DiZ who were both very, very still. DiZ had his hand half-heartedly in front of Aqua, as if he were about to block her from rushing in to save him like she usually did when he was injured, then got distracted.

"Two?" Aqua breathed finally.

Sora looked down. Two. Two Keyblades. One in each hand. Kingdom Key rested in his right, and in his left… Missing Ache. He raised the second one to take a closer look at it. Where did it come from? Why was he able to wield  _two_? It made zero sense to him.

DiZ was the first to speak, though it was not of what had just transpired. "We should get moving. Quickly."

"Right," Sora agreed. They began their run.

As they ran, Aqua cast Cura on him. The scratches down his back felt much better, even if the blood was only growing stickier. When they ran, he sweat and as it mixed with his blood, it only became more uncomfortable. They needed to find a place for him to bath and wash his clothes.

As he grew older, it became increasingly difficult to find fabric to make clothing for him out of. Aqua used one of her sashes to make him a shirt a while back, but he had grown out of it. What fabric they had was used to make pants that fit him comfortably. He didn't mind running around without a shirt, but sometimes the places they went were a bit chilly….

Sora carried his new Keyblade feeling apprehensive. This was weird. If he could imagine extending his reach, he did it. If he could wish for a second Keyblade, it appeared. Was that normal for a Keyblade wielder? It didn't appear so, since Aqua was still silent. Her furrowed brows told him she was still trying to figure out what happened.

It was another mystery to solve at a later date. Strangely, it wouldn't be the last.

It only snowballed from there. As Sora's training was adjusted, so did he. When he became comfortable with one thing, another was thrown at him. Another being stronger magic. He manipulated the magic he knew to create new attacks and defenses. It came so naturally to him.

Well, learning the attacks did. Making them up did. But it so quickly depleted his energy. He could use maybe five magic attacks consecutively (depending on how much magic they needed) before he collapsed with exhaustion. Simple ones like Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder could be used limitlessly. Once he stepped up and made them stronger, even they used all that he had in very few attacks.

DiZ tried his hardest to push Sora's magic stamina further. Aqua's was on such a high level, why wasn't Sora's? Aqua had to explain that magic didn't always come easy to people. It wasn't their first nature, like it was hers. She had been practicing since she was a child and Sora was only fairly recently. Strength was Sora's strong point. Magic, his weakness.

This only made Sora try harder. He learned more magic, even when he knew he wouldn't be able to execute them like he would like to.

DiZ and Aqua had high hopes for him. They did not want this prodigy to go to waste. He should be out there, helping people. DiZ soon became convinced Sora might actually get them out of there, only if he told him in confidence. DiZ knew Aqua wouldn't agree. But, if DiZ thought it were true, Sora did, too.

As he grew, so did the amount of Keyblade he was able to wield. No, not by name and two at a time.  _All of them. At one time._  It seemed Sora was a glitch in the matrix. His drive to better himself only grew his abilities. The first time an extra Keyblade popped up, they thought it was just part of the same mystery as to why he could wield one in the first place. But, the second time… three Keyblades?

When he and Aqua were fighting off some big baddies, it happened. He had two in his hands. He threw one at a Neoshadow that tried to get Aqua from behind while, at the same time, trying to finish a combo while dual wielding. He figured he'd trip and fall and just mess it up. Instead, he regained his balance as another appeared in his free hand, allowing him to finish off the Darkside. This one's name was Divewing.

This was most certainly not a fluke or a gift. This was downright absurd. Where were these things coming from?

The number grew by a considerable amount. It was too much for the boy to handle. He had no idea how he was supposed to wield all of these. Why would he have the power to if he couldn't actually do it? It made zero sense. Once, DiZ asked him to summon them all. All of them. He wanted to count them. He did, and then they all collapsed. He couldn't carry them. He was quick to put them back before DiZ had a chance to. Sora didn't care how many there were. He didn't want to know. He knew he'd only wield what he was capable of, just like Aqua suggested.

There was a specific Keyblade that intrigued Aqua. It was the one that Sora held with his left hand, backhanded. Sora was much more comfortable with the two handed stance, but this one… felt  _right_. Sora was by no means ambidextrous. His right was his dominant hand. But this Keyblade… Sora wanted to practice more with it, just to get a feel for it.

It came easy. Too easy. If he tried with any other Keyblade, it didn't work so well. It was uncomfortable and unwieldy. This was the exception.

"That's… different, Sora." Aqua said quietly as she leaned against the doorframe. There wasn't much left to this old… "church." Just some broken down stones and cavernous, roofless rooms. Sora wasn't sure what a church was. He was told it was a place of worship. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea of it. Why would people worship something they had no proof existed?

"Right?" Sora said as he swung it in front of him to block. "It's kind of cool. At least now I have a range, right? Something unpredictable. It's called—"

"Wayward Wind."

Sora stopped, facing her. "How'd you…?"

Her eyes filled with tears as she covered her mouth. "That's Ven's Keyblade."

Oh, no. He hoped she wasn't falling into one of her episodes.

The darkness really took a toll on Aqua. More than she ever let on. There were times when she'd forget where she was and when she forgot who Sora and DiZ were. Well, not really Sora. She'd believe he was someone else entirely.

The first time she called him Ven, he panicked. He thought he was losing her. She embraced him and cried and begged for forgiveness. He didn't know what to do. He tried so hard to tell her he wasn't Ven, but she wouldn't listen. She told him all the things she would have told Ven when he woke up. It was sweet. Sora lost the heart to tell her who he was.

When she finally came down from her delusion, it almost broke her. She lost the friend she tried so hard to protect. She thought she was finally home.

It happened more and more often. It happened the most when she woke up from her sleep, almost like she wasn't quite done dreaming yet. Sora tried to avoid her when she was in that state. He nor DiZ knew how to handle her. Sora usually just let her think he was Ven. It didn't hurt him in any way and it made her happy, if only for a little.

Sora looked at the Keyblade. "How'd I get it, then?" he wondered aloud.

Aqua wiped her eyes, smiling at him. "I don't know." He had heard that way too many times. Nobody seemed to know anything about him anymore. He almost wished for simpler times, like when he was younger with just a really bright heart. Now, he was more than just a child with a star in his chest. He was an enigma with more power than he could manage.

Maybe if it made itself known when he was younger and it became gradual, so he could learn step by step. But it became too much too fast. He could carry up to five at a time and he still couldn't keep track. There were times when he'd whack himself in the back or cut himself on the sharp teeth of the blades.

DiZ wanted to train him to wield them all. Aqua felt taking it slowly was best. The man wanted to jump right in. He had dropped Sora's education in favor of intensive training. Even though Aqua wanted to fight it, Sora agreed to it. He felt that if he had this power, he should be able to use it.

It was just a matter of time and perfecting it.

Sora spent a lot of time meditating and focusing on holding more Keyblades at once. During one of his battles, he felt he would get a better view if he were higher. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to fly? So, he tried. It became one of his focus points as he meditated.

_Float. Rise. Ascend. You can do anything you put your mind to. Everything you can do is proof of that._

And he did it. At first, it was only a few inches and for less than five seconds. It was harder to lift himself than it was to lift the Keyblades. He kept at it and kept at it. He manipulated Aero magic to keep him aloft and it  _worked_. He commanded the winds to support him and  _they did_.

"Hey, guys!" Sora called to attention when he had become sufficiently proud of his work. "Look what I can do!" Sora held up his hands. Inhale. Exhale. As he breathed out, he felt himself lift from the stone flooring. He rose a foot in the air before he allowed himself to stop and grin at them.

Nothing surprised them anymore. In fact, the more he learned, the more proud they became. They asked him about his process and urged him to better himself.

"Practice perfection until it's as subconscious as that smile of yours," DiZ would say.

So he did. He would perfect one thing before moving on to the other. The ones that raised him found it so hard to keep up. They had to keep changing routines in order to challenge him. Sora begged for more. He created his own challenges. He needed constant work to keep him busy.

It made Aqua wonder what drove him.

"I've… I've lost so much," Sora confessed when he was as tall as DiZ. "I've lost almost everything except for their names. Kairi and Riku. But…" He stepped back, his arms wide. "Look at me. I'm big now. They must be, too. They've probably long since forgot about me." He laughed. "I don't even remember what they looked like and I still care about them." His smile only widened. "I always will. And… I hope to someday reunite with them and show them how much I've grown."

Aqua returned with a sad smile. Oh, he knew she hurt for him. He was still this small child lost on a dark realm to her when he was almost as old as she was. "We'll return to them," she agreed. "Someday. And they'll be as proud of you as we are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of this seems out of left field, but I've def been trying to set it up throughout the previous chapters. If you've been paying attention, you'll probably know where a lot of this comes from. Also, canon helps to drive it.


	7. Chapter 7

Sora shook Aqua awake. They had to move. Sora could feel the darkness closing in and it wasn't any small fry. It would be best if they moved  _now_. It was… a hoard. He could feel them. Their overbearing hunger shook  _him_ , the boy that could call upon several Keyblades in an instant to slay a thousand of them. He didn't know what they were, he only knew they had to move.

"Aqua, come on. Wake up," Sora insisted. Usually, he was fairly gentle about it. But there wasn't any time for that now.

She blearily opened her eyes, trying to focus on him. "Ven…?"

"No, Sora." He didn't have time for this. DiZ had already packed his makeshift back full of the papers he had begun scribbling. Sora pulled the girl (she no longer seemed like a woman to him now that he had grown so big) to her feet, pushing her disheveled hair from her face. "We have to go. Heartless."

"Sora… right." She rubbed her face before tying back her long hair into a ponytail. She didn't have time to braid it. It reached just below her backside, telling just how long they had all been trapped. "Are they here yet?"

"No, but we have to move  _now_."

She slapped her own face awake and nodded. "Right. Let's go."

The three of them wandered back into the unknown. Sora directed them, sensing which way the darkness was approaching from. Since DiZ had taught him how to see into people's hearts, he had been able to become much more aware of his surroundings. He could see the light and dark all around them.

It was never too difficult to tell which way was safest anymore. Aqua usually did a good job before Sora, though they would occasionally fall into the hidden trap. The monsters were evolving beyond what DiZ had imagined and it made this realm more dangerous than ever for a Keyblade wielder or a heart of light. Sora and Aqua just happened to have both.

DiZ had light in his heart. It was not snuffed out, much to Sora's relief. He did not want his father figure to fall, otherwise he'd never be able to get over the loss of the man who raised him. There was still that underlying simmer of darkness that scared Sora.

A part of him hoped they would stay in this realm until DiZ let go of his need for revenge. Aqua was sure it would never happen.

Aqua's light was bright. There were patches of darkness, much like an infection. Unwanted, but not permanent. It made her heart ill, which also worried Sora. What if he lost her completely to the infection? She would only see him as her friend, Ven. Then what? Where would Sora go? Would she care if she didn't see Sora again as long as she had Ven?

The girl that raised him meant so much to him. She was his big sister. He wished Curaga would help ease her heart, but it would not be that simple.

They wandered until they reached a coast. It felt familiar and Sora wondered if this was the place DiZ found him. He didn't recall any boats being there, but he could have been wrong. Before them lay a dock. Sorry sailboats and a fisherman ship tied to the dock, the waves of the calm dark waters lapping at their haul.

Sora turned to them with a grin. "Shall we sail?"

"Sora, there's no wind." Aqua reminded him with a playful smile.

"Right. Well, they might have oars on them… or motors… Hm." Sora glided up to the dock ahead of them to get a good look into the smaller dinghies. They didn't need anything large for coasting along the shore. It would only help them get further from the Heartless faster.

He found one with a motor just as Aqua and DiZ stepped onto the dock. He jumped off the dock into the boat causing it to rock. Nostalgia washed over him, even though he could not recall even a moment of himself being on a boat. He was born on an island, right? That must have been it. He knew he had to have been on one at some point in his life.

Inspecting the motor, he found a tab. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.  _Vroom! Plut-plut-plut._  It started! Now, for how long it would last, time would tell. It was a small boat. There were oars under the seats. This was good enough. He called DiZ and Aqua to him. He helped them into the boat before releasing the knot that kept it tied to the dock. It felt so natural. He must have done it a million times in his previous life.

As the boat drifted, he leapt into it, rocking the boat dangerously. Aqua laughed, warning him not to capsize the boat.

"Do you know how to drive this thing?" she asked.

"Uh… no." he smirked. He proved it too, by almost crashing them back into the dock. DiZ insisted on taking the helm, but he hadn't any experience in a boat either. What good would that do them? Besides, DiZ would make himself look like a fool if he tried and that was far from what he wanted. DiZ was a  _noble man_. Not a fool.

Eventually, Sora got the hang of it with DiZ and Aqua's assistance. Aqua told him how to steer and DiZ kept an eye on the engine to make sure it stayed steady.

"Should we go out into the waters?" Aqua asked.

Sora shook his head. "No. There's nothing out there. It's… empty." It was the only way to describe the nothingness that he felt coming from the horizon. If they went that way, there may be no coming back. They kept on along the shoreline, passing foggy islands and more debilitated docks. There was even an amusement park that jutted out above the waters on boardwalks.

As they slowed down, DiZ declared they were running out of fuel. Sora turned off the engine to switch places with Aqua in order to row.

"Haven't we gone far enough?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah," Sora laughed. "A long time ago, actually. I just… I dunno. I like this. Being on the water. It feels like home."

They let him go. They liked to keep him happy in fear his smile would fade. Sora knew he was spoiled. That it was just his smile that kept them all going. He felt like the idea should make him miserable, but it didn't. He felt like he had a purpose in this group. He had to keep everyone's chin up and their candle lit. He took on the mantle with pride.

As his shoulder began to feel sore, he decided a nice place to dock was an island right off shore. He could have swam to it, it was so close to the main land. Sora drove the boat into the sand and with Aqua's help, pulled it up onto shore to keep it from drifting.

As they turned to the island, Sora felt something swell within in. He didn't know how to put it. He felt a grin stretch across his face and his eyes stung. What was it?

"Sora?" Aqua said quietly once she had a good look at where they were standing.

"Yeah?" he replied feeling his hands shake. This wasn't right. Something about this was totally wrong and he didn't know what exactly it was.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked in the same hushed tones. He shook his head. He nodded. He shook his head. He'd been here before. Emotion began to overwhelm him.

"Where are we?" he asked, feeling his voice crack. He already knew the answer. The moment he set eyes on the palm trees that stretched over the waters with shriveled star-shaped fruit, he knew.

"This is Destiny Island." DiZ turned to her sharply. "This is where you're from."

"… Oh."

This was it. He had come full circle. All that was left was this fragmented island off the coast of the Realm of Darkness. This was his home. His island. He could see the remains of the platforms his father had been building into the cliff and that was when it clicked. His memories were buried, not forgotten.

Age was a bitch. It was easy to bury them and forget they were there. He almost remembered his father's smile. Soft, yet strong. He remembered calloused hands teaching him how to tie a sailor's knot.

Sora walked. He told them vaguely that he wasn't going far as he made straight for a cave past the dried up waterfall. They let him go. For the first time, they let him out of their sight so he could re-familiarize himself with his home.

No, this wasn't his home. This was part of it. Only a small piece. This was where he came to play. He remembered exploring this cave. It seemed so much bigger then. At the end, there was an opening. Drawings were etched into the walls, covered from top to bottom. He remembered he and Riku used to draw here often, using other stones to make the shapes. He took Kairi here.

And there she was.

Sora approached the image etched next to a dark opening. He didn't remember that being there. He struggled… wait. There used to be a door there. Now, it was just infinite blackness. But he wasn't concerned with that. He sat before a picture with himself and her. Curse his tiny self for his terrible drawing skills. He knew it was Kairi. She had short, messy hair. She had a round face. But there were no distinctive features unlike the one she drew of him and his spiky hair.

What color was her hair? How dark or light was her skin? Did she have brown or green eyes?

Sora looked around. There was none of Riku. What did Riku look like? Was he tall or short? Did he have light or dark hair? What kind of nose did he have?

As Sora was exploring the island, trying to drag up old memories, DiZ and Aqua kept their space. He knew they were talking about him, like they had a million times. They were worried. And rightly so.

This was what was left of his home. Even if he did find a way back, there was nowhere for him to go. What would he do? Follow Aqua? What happened to everyone on Destiny Island? Did they die when the darkness took their home? They weren't here, that's for sure.

Did that mean Riku and Kairi were gone? The two people who he kept alive in his memory for so long… all for nothing?

Even so… he couldn't cry. He couldn't bring himself to mourn this place. He didn't have any connection to it. He barely remembered the people his heart connected to. The darkness was very quick to shroud them, even as the memories were remembered. But, he was still very young last time he was here. Five years old. And Sora knew more than ten years had passed since that time.

He sat on the beach, letting the water lap over his bear feet. He tried to feel sad, but he just felt… disappointed. If his home had landed here then maybe… he just wasn't meant to see the light. What if the three of them were supposed to be the darkness? This was where they were brought. This is where they would stay for eternity.

Maybe he could accept that. He was okay with where he was. He had… family here. And maybe they would eventually accept it, too.

Something hit his foot. Curiously, he looked at the object that made to sink back into the ocean. It was pushed back against his foot. He quickly grabbed it before it was pulled away from him. A bottle? It was covered in rotted barnacles and algae. Kind of gross. It made it difficult to see what was inside.

Sora pulled open the cork and shook the bottle until a neatly tied scroll fell onto his lap. More paper for DiZ. He wondered what was written on it. Sora unfurled the scroll that fought to stay curled to read.

" _Thinking of you, wherever you are._  
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.  
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.  
And who knows:  
starting a new journey may not be so hard,  
or maybe it has already begun.  
There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —  
one sky, one destiny."

_-Kairi_

Kairi. It was from Kairi. He laughed, feeling a tear prickle in his eye. Kairi! She remembered him! This had to be for him. Right? Who else?

Then, he couldn't see. His eyes burned as he flinched away from the bright light that opened up before him. What was that? He got to his feet, realizing it was a  _door_. It was a door to the light! He didn't have time to question how. He had to get Aqua and DiZ before it closed.

He ran down the beach and saw they were running towards him to investigate. It was hard  _not_  to see that light. He grinned so wide, his face hurt. Clutching the letter, he grabbed them as he met them, dragging them towards the door.

"Sora, what's going on? What is that?" Aqua asked, wincing as they came closer.

"It's the Door to Light!" he exclaimed. "This is it! We're going home!"


	8. Chapter 8

Riku and Kairi had  _very_  different childhoods than Sora. After Sora had been kidnapped, thrown into a dark portal, lift continued on rather mundanely. They never caught the woman that took him. They never found out where she came from or who she was or why she had taken him. She disappeared into a portal like the one she had thrown him in and was gone forever.

His parents were distraught. If more than one person hadn't seen what happened, they would have counted his father as crazy. Another man from the build team had seen everything and backed Sora's father, Riku, and Kairi's claims.

The children were upset and rightly so. After several visits to child councilors, they learned to accept what happened and moved on. They grew up as close friends, both sharing the same experience. They grew, went to school, studied, played, and went on with their lives.

After the debacle, Kairi asked Riku to teach her to fight. She wanted to grow strong now, too. She wanted to be able to protect herself and others from evil like the woman with a black cloak and large horns. Kairi would never forget that face. That strange and otherworldly face. Pointed, tinted green, with red lips. Kairi knew she wasn't from this world. She prayed that her and the woman were not from the same one.

The two grew up like two peas in a pod. They were inseparable. They dreamed and planned together. When Riku would say things that worried Kairi, she would whack him over the head and tell him to get over himself. He wasn't that important. None of them were. She kept his head leveled and let him know he didn't impress her.

She felt like she had to keep him in check. She also felt like she was doing a great job.

Kairi had seen Sora's parents around. When she went to the grocery story with one of her adoptive parents, they'd stop and chat. They had a little girl now, not older than four. She was a spitting image of her brother. Kairi knew that she wasn't a replacement for Sora and that his parents hadn't forgotten him. But, what could they do? There was no way to find their lost boy. They continued life as normally as they could.

As they got older, their island felt too small. When Kairi was fourteen, they decided it was time to get moving. Riku and Kairi built themselves a raft—well, Riku mostly. Kairi pretended to help as she messed around making a good luck charm. When Riku finally put his foot down, she decided she'd help by gathering rations. Fish, mushrooms, fresh water, some coconuts. That should have been enough.

The night before they left, he and Riku watched the sunset. This would be something Kairi would miss if she left the island for good. These beautiful sunsets with her best friend were times she'd remember best.

"Hey, Riku?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think we might find Sora?"

The boy was quiet for a moment. The boy from their childhood was long forgotten by most. She wouldn't be surprised if Riku was one of them.

"Sora… I haven't thought of him in a long time." Riku shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe we'll find that lady that took him and get some answers."

She laughed. "We'll beat it out of her if we have to!" Kairi felt like she was getting better. She beat Riku in their last spar. Then again, she had a feeling he let her win, even though he insisted otherwise.

He joined her laughter. He tried to act so tough all the time. When they were alone, he let himself go and smiled sometimes. He wasn't so bad, even though the others felt intimidated by him. Riku was strong and kind of a loner. His favorite company besides Kairi was his own.

"Kairi… ah… there's something I gotta tell you." Riku adjusted his position against the tree she sat on, looking straight out into the sun. He seemed nervous. Oh no. What did he do now? He struggled with his discomfort as she waited patiently. It was funny to see him this uncomfortable. It didn't happen often. "I… well, I just wanted to say… I… I like you."

Was that just the sun's rays on his face, or was his skin turning red?

"Well, we'd be awkward friends if I didn't like you, too, Riku." She snickered.

"No!" Riku turned to face her. "I… I  _really_  like you. Like, like you, like you."

Oh. Kairi felt her face burn. Okay, now  _this_  was awkward. So so so so so very very awkward. Kairi looked into those sincere aquamarine eyes. He was being honest. His face was as red as hers felt. Oh, goodness. What should she say? What should she do?

Kairi slipped off the tree to meet him. She gave a soft smile as she shook her head. "Riku… I'm… I'm really sorry. I don't feel the same. I love you, but… not like that. You're like my brother. I just… I can't see you any other way."

Riku was clearly disappointed, but took his rejection with grace. They talked about it, both finding it hard to really look at one another at first. Eventually, as the sun began to fall below the horizon, it became comfortable again. Riku had liked Kairi for a long time. Almost as long as he could remember. And it wasn't like Kairi hadn't entertained the idea. Selphie teased her about it relentlessly. She just… couldn't see herself with him romantically.

The journey was still on. Well… they hoped. They talked for so long, it had gotten dark and storm clouds were forming above the island. Kairi felt something was wrong. This wasn't a normal storm.  _Impending doom_  came to mind when lightning struck.

"We should go home before it starts to rain," Riku suggested.

"The raft." Kairi reminded him. It wasn't exactly secure where it was. It was just sitting there on the beach. If the storm got as bad as it felt it wouldn't survive. And they—well, Riku—worked so hard on it.

"We're still on for that?" Riku's eyebrows shot up surprised.

"Why not?" Kairi rolled her eyes. Just because she didn't feel the same didn't mean she didn't want to hang out. She still wanted to leave this island and Riku was the only one she wanted to go with.

"Uh… right. Then, come on."

They made their way to the raft, the feeling of something being wrong only got stronger. The winds picked up, making Kairi wonder if it would be safe to take their tiny rowboats back to land. She watched the dark waters toss and rise, growing angrier as they pulled the raft back further.

When the two of them returned to the dock, they found it impossible to make it to their boats. A strange black creature stood in the middle, skittering around. Riku held tight to his wooden sword as they backed up. What was that thing? It gave Kairi a bad vibe. Then… they were everywhere.

Riku and Kairi were surrounded. The monsters attacked and they fought back. Their wood didn't do anything to them. In fact, it passed right through them. Riku grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the cave thinking maybe they'd find shelter there. What an idiot! They'd be trapped! Kairi tugged his hand and pulled him towards the islet. They could at least swim if worst came to worst.

They were there, too. Kairi gritted her teeth. What even were these things?! Where did they come from?! Something about them seemed… familiar.

"Heartless," she breathed. She'd seen them before in her nightmares that haunted her when she yearned for her home world.

"Heartwhat?" Riku asked, exasperated and breathless.

"Heart _less_!" Kairi repeated with emphasis and a grunt as she swung at the creature. As she did so, her wooden sword shimmered and  _thwack!_  It landed a hit! Only… it was no longer a sword made of wood. But a blade with flowers shaped like a key. What?

"Kairi, what—Urg!" Riku winced as one of the Heartless slashed at him. He growled, launching at the monster, taking a swing. His sword transformed before it slashed through several at once. "Huh?"

What were these blades? Kairi had never seen anything like them. Whatever they were, they worked against the Heartless. They fought their way through the endless waves of the monsters, trying to get back to their boats. They had to get to the mainland. Maybe somebody knew what was going on.

They never made it to the mainland. They didn't even make it to their boats. The island began to break apart as a Heartless rose from the ground. A massive mound of darkness burst, looking like twisted black roots. Smack in the middle of his chest was a hole in the shape of a heart.

"Kairi, stay back." Riku commanded with a hand in front of her, backing them up. The blade in his hand was shaped like a red bat wing, a white wing protruding from the tip. Kairi wondered if it was enough to take on this giant Heartless.

Riku lunged for him. Kairi, despite his protests, was right behind him. They fought harder than they ever had, struggling to stay afloat, as their island broke apart around them. When the monster fell, they felt like dropping as well. The winds picked up. It became harder to keep their feet on the ground. As a particularly strong gust picked them off their feet, they reach out for each other, keeping tight hold on one another.

When Kairi finally woke up, her hand was still clasped with a passed out Riku's. Where were they? Brick… cobblestone… lights. The air was calm. In her other hand, her new weapon gleamed dimly.  _Destiny's Embrace_. The name popped into her head like she'd know it forever. Whatever it was… it saved their lives. But it wasn't enough to save their home.

They'd made it to another world. This place was unlike any other she'd been to in Destiny Island. It was the only explanation. She nudged Riku with her elbow, still holding onto his hand tightly. "Riku. Riku, wake up." She urged him. Kairi elbowed him harder in the chest. " _Riku!_ "

The boy coughed awake. "What? What? Ow! Kairi!"

She finally let go of him, holding fast to her weapon. Kairi climbed to her feet, slowly making her way out of the ally. A dog barked, running up to her that she barely registered. "Riku… we made it." There it was, laid before her: Streetlights, people milling around, a café, and a shop to her right. "We're in another world."

At what price?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's kind of short. I want to explain what Kairi and Riku have been up to while Sora was in the Realm of Darkness, so the next few chapters will be Kairi centric. I hope to give her the development she deserves, since the games have failed me. Kairi's a beautiful character and I love her, okay?! Lemme know if you like the direction I'm going. Like, we're veering WAY off the course of canon here.


	9. Chapter 9

It wasn't long before they were found by a man called Leon. When he saw Riku's weapon, he laughed and drew his Gunblade for a fight. He thought the blade in Riku's hand was not meant for a child. When Kairi drew her own, intending to fight alongside Riku, the man seemed to underestimate his position. Instead, he asked that they follow him.

He led them to a hotel and asked them to leave their blades on the other side of the room. A girl who introduced herself as "The Great Ninja Yuffie!" greeted them cheerfully. The two of them explained the Keyblade to them. What it was and what it did. A great weapon that chooses its master. One that could build worlds or destroy them.

They explained how there where many worlds out there. As many worlds as there were stars in the sky. How nobody knew because they weren't connected. Now they were. They told of how lanes formed when the Heartless appeared.

"Wait, wait. Heartless. What exactly are they?" Riku asked. Yuffie explained how they were things without hearts that were attracted to the darkness within people. Everyone had darkness.

Yuffie then pondered for a moment. "Have you guys heard of Ansem?"

The name… it sounded so familiar to Kairi. A distant memory. Riku shook his head. Of course he wouldn't know Ansem. Who was he? Why did his name ring such a loud bell for Kairi? They explained he was a man who studied the Heartless and wrote a report of his findings. They were searching for it, only to come up empty. It was scattered across the worlds.

"What I don't understand is how it chose two  _kids_  of all people." Leon huffed.

There was a knock at the door. A woman with a kind smile and a pink ribbon in her hair opened it, leading in an anthromorphic duck and… dog? What he was was ambiguous. It barely mattered. They barely got introductions out when the Heartless showed up again.

"They're here," the girl smiled.

"Thanks, Aerith." Leon seemed relieved. "I think plans are going to change."

The duck spoke up, "Which one—" a crash from the hall interrupted him. A Soldier appeared in the room.

"They've found us!" Yuffie cried, jumping to her feet. "Come on, guys. Run!"

She was out the door, followed quickly by Aerith. Leon led Riku and Kairi out of the window. The duck quacked, scrambling to keep up with the dog on his tail. As they ran, Riku and Kairi fought them off. They introduced themselves as Donald and Goofy. Goofy was very friendly. He used a shield and Donald used a staff to fight. They seemed capable enough. They were certainly helpful.

Their aid came to the test once they reached the third district. Their first boss battle proved almost more than the four of them could handle. Riku fought against Donald and Goofy, saying that he and Kairi didn't need their help. He tried so hard to prove it. Kairi rolled her eyes and told them to ignore him. She appreciated them. They really needed their help.

After the fight, Kairi brushed herself off, finally able to take in the two of them. "So, what can we do for you?"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other. Goofy rubbed the back of his head. "Gawrsh. We were told there'd only be one Key. Weren't we?"

"As were we," Leon folded his arms.

"The more the merrier, right?" Kairi grinned, folding her hands behind her back.

"We've been looking for the Keyblade." Donald explained.

"Hey!" Goofy guffawed. "Why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel!"

"Pass," Riku held up a hand, barely letting Goofy finish. "What happens is none of our concern."

Kairi turned to him, scowling. "How could you even say that?! After what happened to Destiny Island, how can you  _not_  want to explore other worlds? We don't have anywhere to go back to and we can really do some good out there! Maybe even stop other worlds from ending up like ours."

"Kairi, this isn't our fight—"

"Oh, I see." Kairi put her hands on her hips. "You're scared. Now that you actually made it to another world, you're terrified."

"Kairi, I—"

"No, that's fine. You can stay here with Leon and Yuffie." Kairi turned back to Goofy and Donald. "When do we leave?"

"H-Hey!" Riku fumbled. "Fine! You aren't going anywhere without me. But shouldn't we discuss this, first?"

"We can discuss it on the way to our next stop," she grinned, looking between her new friends. "Right, guys?"

"Right!" they agreed in unison.

"But you can't come with us looking like that. Understand?" Donald insisted, pointing to Riku. "No frowning. No pouting. Okay?"

"Yeah!" Goofy agreed. "You gotta look funny, like us!"

Riku gave them the most incredulous look. "You're kidding right?" They shook their heads. "I  _don't_  smile."

"Aw, come on, Riku." Kairi pulled a silly face. "Smiiiiile." The girl pulled his lips back forcibly, which only made him scowl deeper. He tried to push her off, to no avail. She grinned at the others. "Don't mind him. He's such a sour puss."

"I'nn oot a shour fuss." Riku said through Kairi's fingers.

That was how they began their journey through the multiverse. They traveled through deep jungles and topsy-turvy wonderlands, the ocean! Kairi couldn't believe it when Donald's magic turned her into a mermaid! She couldn't believe they were even real! A coliseum dedicated to the gods of old that held a tournament especially took Riku's attention. His competitive nature finally had some outlet. Kairi cheered for him from the stands as he went up against Heartless competitors and even the son of the gods!

That was where they met him. Cloud. He had sold himself to Hades, contracted to him to slay Hercules. Kairi spoke with him after Hercules rescued him. She discovered he was looking for someone. He seemed so bent on finding them Kairi feared his heart would fell deeper into darkness.

She tended to his wounds, her cure magic now much more powerful than Donald's.

"You're falling too deep," she warned as she helped him stand. "Try and find the light. Then, you shouldn't have any problem finding them."

"It's not that simple."

Kairi tried to stop him. She did. She wanted to talk him down, seeing that he had the potential for good. His intentions were only pure. He was making a mistake and he wouldn't listen. He was gone by the time Riku, Donald, and Goofy left the coliseum.

There were many victories, but they were not without their losses. Some much bigger than others. Passing out? Small. Losing a Princess of Heart? Much bigger. Somebody was kidnapping girls with pure hearts and taking them some place they hadn't reached yet. For what? They weren't certain just yet. But a new goal to find the Seven Princesses of Heart became their mission.

As they cruised to their next destination, Kairi looked out the window. All of the stars out there overwhelmed her. So many worlds… she wondered if any of them were where she came from. She wondered if maybe she'd find it. It sort of excited her. There might be a record of who she was and why she washed up on Destiny Island.

"You know," Riku said, watching the window from behind her. "This was his dream, too." Kairi turned to him. He smiled. "Sora's, I mean. We promised each other we'd leave that island and have adventures."

"I hope he's having them," Kairi said wistfully. It was only a dream. Realistically, he was probably long gone. It hurt her heart to think of the end that little boy could have had.

That was when they found themselves in the belly of a whale.

The four of them met so many new people and made so many friends. Riku learned to get off his high horse and accept that they were too deep in this to back down now. They promised Donald and Goofy they'd help find their king, and that was it at first. Now, this went much deeper. Affected more lives than they ever could have imagined.

Heroes. They had become the heroes of fairy tales. Kairi would never have thought they'd ever land here. She thought all of her dreams were simply that—dreams. Her imagination wasn't big enough to come up with everything she'd seen and experienced. It made each world feel so much smaller than it was. In hindsight, their own world was so tiny. How could they ever have thought they could get anywhere on a raft? What kind of dummies were they?

The kind that craved adventure. And the kind that finally got it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's sort of a short chapter, but the next one is super long. I wanted to kind of set up the pace for the chapter where everything goes south.
> 
> Oh, and someone voiced concerns about Sora being crazy OP. Don't worry! He won't be unopposed! : D


	10. Chapter 10

They landed in Hollow Bastion. Surrounding them was nothing but water that flowed upwards. A beast in a purple cloak perched on the remains of a bridge or a walkway. Kairi was too paralyzed to notice to care as the animal rounded on them. It was a rush of  _everything_. Here. This was it. It had to be. Nothing looked familiar, but everything just felt like it pointed to  _here_.

"Whoah, whoah!" Riku held up his hands as a sign of good faith. "Calm down! We aren't here to hurt you!"

"Where's  _BELLE!?_ " The beast bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the caverns.

And there he stood, above them, looking down at the creature. Cloud. Kairi could tell just by looking at him that his heart had fallen even deeper.

"You're looking for your princess?" he asked quietly. The beast roared. "Tell me, Beast. How did you find yourself here without a vessel?"

"After Belle had been taken from me, I promised I would find her no matter what the cost. I  _believed_  I would find her. So, here I am. She  _must_ be here. I will have her  _back_!"

Cloud pulled up his sword, gazing down at the beast. "Good luck."

Then, he leaped. The great Beast leapt from his place at Cloud. Kairi shook herself from her daze to make her way up to the platform. She had to stop him. They couldn't fight. As soon as her and Riku made it, the beast was tottering backward. He fell with a loud  _thump_.

"Donald, help him." Kairi ordered as she rushed forward. "Cloud, what are you doing here?"

"Maleficent promised she would help me find her. No contracts. Only give and take." Cloud smirked, clenching his clawed hand. "I found her, Kairi. Tifa. Her heart has been suppressed and I'm trying to get it back. This is all for her."

"No, Cloud. There are other ways. Please listen—" he was gone.

They weren't friends. She didn't know him. She had met him once, but she knew he wasn't past saving. She supposed the reason she wanted to redeem him was because he reminded Kairi so much of Riku. She could see Riku, back when he was ignorant, leaning on the darkness to get what he wanted. Now, he fought only for the light. He knew what the darkness did to people and she trusted he never would consider it.

Kairi helped to heal the Beast. He joined them to look for the Princess from his world. As they made their way through the castle, they lost the Beast somewhere along the way. He just suddenly… ran off. They were forced to continue without him. This castle… it made Kairi's head fuzzy and she felt as if her heart was being pulled. She wasn't sure if they were connected, but everything came to a stop when they came to a library. That table. That window. She knew it. She remembered an old woman sitting there, telling her stories of how people fought over the light.

Riku noticed her pause.

Her eyes blurred. Clutching her chest, she turned to him with a watery smile. "Riku," her voice cracked. "It's here." She found herself laughing. "This world. It's where I come from."

After this long search, they'd found it destroyed beyond comprehension. No wonder she was thrown to Destiny Island. This must have been one of the first worlds to fall to the Heartless, which is why she was blasted across the multiverse.

A flood of memories rushed to her. An old woman… her grandmother had taken care of her. There was a man with a kind smile who told her of his discovers. A boy only a little older than her scrutinizing her with calculating eyes. Those eyes were so much older than he was…

"Kairi, Kairi," Riku put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me. Okay? Keep your eyes on me." The sound of Donald and Goofy fighting began to sound more and more distant. "You know any other time, I'd be right here with you. I would. But you need to snap out of it. The Heartless are right on us and we don't have time for a freak out, alright?"

He was right. She shook herself out, clutching her weapon to cast a fire attack at the monster that tried to get the drop on Donald. These Heartless hoards were more powerful than the others they had faced. It was becoming exhausting.

They made their way through the castle, the pull against her chest only growing stronger. What was that? Where was her heart trying to take her? This did not bode well, she feared. Not like her heart was leading her, but rather that her heart was being dragged kicking and screaming.

When they reached the chapel that was when they finally met her. Maleficent. It was the first time they had met her, Kairi was sure. But something about her… those horns.

"Kairi," Riku said quietly as she approached them with a smirk on those red lips. "That's her." Kairi turned to Riku sharply. He knew who she was. She wasn't crazy. "That's the woman that took Sora."

He was right, now that he had said it. She recognized the green tint in her skin, the tall black horns, the staff in her hand, and the impossible height of the woman. Kairi had seen her Wanted posters around town for years before they vanished. Riku had kept one in his room. He explained he never wanted to forget the face of the woman that stole his best friend. Eventually, even that poster was taken down.

Kairi felt rage bubble within her. She was friends with the boy and had only known him for a year, but their hearts had connected. She was distraught when he was taken. It was so easy for children to fall into friendship. Kairi had felt at the time she had known him her whole life.

"What did you do to Sora?!" Kairi blurted out before she could stop herself.

The woman stopped abruptly for a moment before she laughed. "Is that your concern? You fear for a long-forgotten child?"

"No, but…." Kairi was shaking. She was angry and sad and wanted answers they had searched years for before giving up and forgetting. Riku grabbed the back of her shirt as she tried to run for the woman. She wanted to beat the answers out of her. That poor, poor child.

"Do not worry, he is long gone by now." Maleficent explained. "He was thrown into the Realm of Darkness where one with a light like his would never survive."

"Why…?" Kairi growled. " _Why?!_ "

"There was a prophecy." She continued. "One that fortold of a boy with light in his heart and a Key in his hand. It told of the boy from the sky that would vanquish the darkness. The details do not concern you. I took it upon myself to… nip it in the bud before it blossomed."

"How do you know it was Sora?" Riku asked. Kairi could feel his anger swelling. "He was just a kid. And, as far as I know, he didn't have a 'Key.'"

"The details of the prophecy were very clear." Maleficent replied. "As I said, don't you have more pressing issues than that of a lost boy?"

He was gone. And she was right. They could not help the dead, but there were princesses ahead of them that were in need of their help. Maleficent was brutal to fight. She was relentless and more powerful than they imagined. They barely won that fight. Goofy passed out, Donald had used most of their potions trying to keep everyone afloat (god damn it, Donald! She had just healed, she didn't need a potion!). Riku's stamina was nearly depleted as they watched the woman limp off to the next room. They had to catch up to her. They couldn't let her get away.

Kairi used the last of her magic to heal Riku. Her own bruises throbbed and her cuts bled freely. They didn't have time to argue about whether or not they should take care of her wounds. Goofy was struggling to get back to his feet as the two of them took off to the next room.

"I told you to protect the princesses!" Maleficent's voice echoed though the cavernous room.

"You're usefulness has run out."

Kairi gasped. Cloud was… different. They hadn't seen him more than a few hours ago and there he was, covered in fabric that felt like it was made of darkness itself. His scarf stretched further, fluttering as if it were in water. He radiated darkness. Kairi new just by looking at him that he had fallen too deep. How? Why? Who pushed him over that edge?

In his hand, he held what looked like a Keyblade without a Keychain. The menacing blade struck fear into her heart. She learned too quickly that it wasn't without reason.

Maleficent opened her mouth just as Cloud plunged the blade into her chest. "Give in to the darkness," he commanded as he pulled the blade from her. He turned to Riku and Kairi, his scarf covering most of his face. His eyes were crazed. Then, like that, he was gone.

And Maleficent became a dragon.

"Seriously?!" Riku cried in exasperation. She was  _more_  powerful now? Ugh, fine! They didn't have much of a choice, did they? With the little energy and supplies they had left, they fought her. Riku was the only one able to make the finishing blow by the time they were done.

They just wanted to rest, all of them. They took the time to go back to the Moogle they had come across (what the heck was a Moogle doing there, anyway?! Were they selling potions to bad guys?!). They healed themselves and rejuvenated their magic before moving forward.

Something was seriously wrong with Cloud. They passed the Princesses in their cryo containers on their way to the Keyhole. The feeling in her chest was at it's strongest. It beat faster than a hummingbird's wings. This was wrong. She shouldn't be here. She backed up into Goofy's shield, wanting nothing more than to bolt. He asked if she was all right, that she looked pale. He assured he she didn't have anything to fear.

"Finally," Cloud peered over the group. "The final key is here. Thank you, Princess, for saving me the trouble of hunting you down." What was he talking about? "And now that the final Princess is here, the Keyhole can be completed."

Kairi scowled as Riku turned to her, his eyes wide with shock. Her? A Princess of Heart? That was funny. "You're not Cloud."

His scarf billowed behind him as a great black wing unfurled. She cried out as suddenly her heart pulsed erratically. It hurt. Riku grabbed her as she lurched forward.

"Your heart is responding to the Keyhole." As he drew closer, Riku pulled his Keyblade up defensively.

"Who are you?" Riku demanded stepping in front of the girl.

"It is I, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness." Riku lunged for him. With a flick of his wrist, Cloud sent Riku tumbling towards the stairs, into Donald and Goofy who had been blocked from the platform. Kairi was alone. Looking up, Cloud's darkness became all she saw. "Do not hold back, Princess. Release your power. Show me everlasting Darkness!"

"No!" She slashed her Keyblade at him. Kairi hadn't fought Cloud before. Riku had. But, she'd seen his move sets. And if Ansem followed those at all…

He did, but didn't. Cloud was much more powerful than she anticipated. She pushed against him, keeping her heart strong. She wasn't going to let Ansem use her! It was a tough fight. She thought she would lose. The girl came out victorious. As the barrier fell, she barely had time to celebrate. Cloud had disappeared, leaving the strange blade behind.

That was when she noticed the woman propped up in the corner next to the Keyhole. She was tall, wearing a white crop top and a leather skirt. Her dark hair fell in front of her face as she slept. She must have been Tifa. Kairi could see the darkness that pressed against her. She was a fighter, though. Her light barely peeked through the darkness that tried to suppress it.

This darkness magic was familiar.

Kairi put a hand on her shoulder to see how she was doing as Riku attempted to lock the Keyhole. Goofy stood behind her. She turned to catch him from her peripherals. "This is Maleficent's magic." She told him. "She must have done this in order to control Cloud."

"Gawrsh… shouldn't the magic have lifted when we beat her?"

"I don't know…" Kairi looked up at Riku who jumped down from the platform. "But maybe we can reverse it."

"No use," Riku sighed. "The Keyhole isn't completed, so it can't be locked."

Kairi knew what she had to do. She didn't like it, not by any means. But maybe they could be quick about it. She hoped they would be quick enough. They didn't have much of a choice. It was severely unstable and if the world was going to have any chance of returning to normal, she had to do it  _now_.

Kairi moved to the center of the platform. She felt as if her heart was dying to burst out of her chest. The raw power of light filled her up.

"Kairi, what are you doing?"

"We have to complete it. Be ready to lock it when I'm done, Riku."

"But—"

"Why do you always have to oppose everything I decide? Come on. Just trust me, Riku." She shook her head, laughing. "I trust you. Get ready." She turned to Donald and Goofy. "You guys go get the other Princesses."

Of course he didn't like the idea. If the news that Kairi was a Princess of Heart was as surprising to him as it was to her, she was sure his mind was blowing. She supposed she had a responsibility now. Not that she liked the idea, but at the same time… it kind of felt good to know she was a little important to the multiverse.

Riku took his position beside her as she clasped her hands together, as if praying. Donald and Goofy ran off to do as she instructed. Riku did a lot of the leading throughout their journey and it was kind of nice to take control. She thought about doing it more often.

Breathe in. As she exhaled, a light burst from her chest, thrusting her back. She stumbled before catching herself, watching the light reach the Keyhole. When it faded, she fell to a knee. "Riku, now!"

The boy aimed his Keyblade, light surrounding the tip as it readied to lock when he was lifted from his feet. He grunted, swinging back at the assailant. Kairi gasped. The man smiled at her.

"Thank you for your service, Princess." He tossed Riku, who was quick to scramble to his feet. "The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over."

Kairi backed away from him, summoning her Keyblade. "Stay back!" she cried.

He stopped abruptly, struggling to move his body. "No… it cannot be."

Before him, a translucent figure appeared. His eyes desperate as she struggled to hold Ansem back. "Hurry! I can't hold him back for long."

"Cloud!" Kairi stepped towards him.

"No, stay back!" Cloud's form was already weakening. "Please. Take Tifa and get out of here." Kairi tried to protest. "Just  _go_! And take  _that_  with you." He nodded towards the forgotten blade on the ground. "It's made of the Princesses hearts. Now hurry. The Heartless are coming!"

Kairi darted for the blade as Riku hauled Tifa onto his back. She was taller than him, so he struggled. Her feet dragged behind him as they ran down the stairs. When they reached the Princesses, Donald and Goofy had their containers opened, but the princesses weren't moving.

"They won't wake up!" Donald bawked.

Kairi felt the light within the blade in her hand. She could feel the pureness of their hearts meet with their own. Maybe… she had to try. And she had to hurry. Kairi held the blade in both hands, light radiating from her. It engulfed the blade, making it shake in her palms. It burst into a sparkle of lights, six hearts rising to meet their bodies.

Getting them all out of there was the hard part. They had been asleep for a long time and were confused when they were being told to run, Heartless right on their tails. There wasn't much else to do other than usher them towards the exit. Promises of explanations would be had and when they met paths with the Beast, it became easier to get them to go along. Kairi and Donald brought up the front, Riku, Goofy, and the Beast the rear. Thankfully, Beast had offered to carry Tifa.

The ship was cramped. They all made it back to Traverse Town in one piece, though.

They shouldn't have run. Looking back, Riku knew that they could have taken Ansem on in that moment. He knew they were strong enough and he was weak enough. Their hasty departure was the pivotal point in their story that turned for the worse.

When they went back to try and seal the Keyhole, they found the world in pieces. The ones surrounding it, obliterated. All that was left was a vortex of darkness that seemed to suck in all the light around it. Kairi felt weaker just looking at it.

How could they fail? Everything they'd done… they'd always come out on top. Through all the trials and tribulations, they'd make it through. No matter how much darkness, they'd make the light shine brighter. They were supposed to be the heroes, right? They'd failed. And because of their failure, their universe could be doomed.

Trying to get close to the vortex proved useless. They fought to pull away from its powerful gravity. They didn't know what was beyond it. They didn't know if it would kill them. They were too scared to find out.

At a safe distance, they noticed something orbiting the vortex. It looked like… a ship. Made of organic material.

"It's a Heartless." Riku realized. "Ansem became too powerful, too fast."

"Do you think he's opened the Door?" Kairi asked, chewing her nails.

"I think that  _is_  the Door." Riku nodded to the vortex. "How are we going to close it? I don't think our Keyblades are powerful enough to reach that far into the Darkness."

"I think it might require more than just Keyblades."

"What do we do?"

Riku turned to her. He was asking her. Why now? He held most of the control throughout their journey and now that she was suddenly a Princess, she apparently knew what to do? She was just as clueless as him. What could she say?

"We can't just stand here!" Donald shook himself out in anger. There was a lot of that in that tiny body of his.

"We missed our chance," Riku pounded the controls. "We blew it!"

"What can we do?" Goofy asked.

"Make sure the worlds stay intact." Kairi suggested. "We need to protect them. This… thing is eating whatever comes close to it. The best we can do for now is make sure their light stays sealed to protect them."

Riku looked out at the pathways between worlds. "We  _might_  need some help."

"We should find the King," Kairi folded her arms. "He might know what to do. He seems one step ahead of us. Just out of reach. Maybe he can help us."

They continued their search. After six months of searching came a year of trying to protect the worlds. Traverse Town seemed to have a constant influx of refugees anymore that Cid, Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie took on to help. They had come across the King several times. He would cryptically lead them in the right direction before disappearing. It happened way too often for Riku to find any comfort.

When Atlantica fell, they began to fear Traverse Town would be close behind it. They really needed the King. He finally showed himself after eight months. He had exhausted all of his resources and finally conceded he needed help.

He explained that he had been undercover in the darkness this whole time. He found out things were much worse than they thought. Ansem was  _not_ working alone. He never had been. There were a group of villains who called themselves Organization XIII. They were Nobodies.

"Well, they don't seem like nobodies," Kairi smiled weakly in a failed effort to make a joke.

"Nobodies malevolent creatures like the Heartless." Mickey explained. "They were the empty husks left behind when a person becomes a Heartless."

That would explain those strange creatures they'd seen in Port Royal. And that weird guy with the spears. Kairi believed that had their hands full enough with the Heartless, now they had to deal with Nobodies?

Worst yet, the Nobody of Ansem had teamed up with his Heartless. Their goal was to reach Kingdom Hearts and spread darkness throughout the multiverse. One uber powerful Heartless with an untouchable vortex and one Organization with twelve members. From the sound of their name, they were looking for a thirteenth.

"We're in a lot of trouble," Kairi whined quietly.

"Which is why I came to you guys," Mickey said. "I've been trying for years, but I need help finding someone. Another Keyblade Master. She may be our last hope."

"Any idea where she could be?" Kairi asked.

He shook his head. "She disappeared eleven years ago. The more eyes looking for her, the better."

Riku shrugged. "We're constantly looking for someone who we believe knows the answers. What if she doesn't have any?"

It was yet another question Mickey could not answer. Whether or not they found her, they would keep trying. This savior might be what they wanted, but Kairi hoped it wasn't what they needed.


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a long day. Kairi had just come back from the  _Savannah_  with Donald to help seal the Keyhole there. The Heartless and Nobodies were starting to get out of control. If that Keyblade Master was in the Pride Lands, she certainly didn't make herself known. Being a lioness cub didn't help much either. Kairi wasn't really even sure who she was supposed to be looking for. Mickey gave her a description of a girl form more than ten years ago. It was most certainly outdated. She probably didn't look like that anymore.

Kairi really needed a shower. But she promised to talk to some refugees from a world she was sure she secured. She had to apologize for the millionth time. It hurt each and every time it happened. She'd meet people and make friends, save their world, only for it to fall a few months later. It was starting to wear on her.

As she passed the Moogle shop, her heard a commotion. It was usually noisy, but not quiet that obnoxious.

"OW! HEY! OKAY! WE'LL GO!" came a voice as the door opened. A girl with long blue hair was dragging a boy out by the back of his tattered shirt. Tools were flying out after them. He was the one yelling.

"Paying customers  _only_!" yelled the disgruntled Moogle as he slammed the door behind them.

"What the heck was their problem?" The boy asked.

"Usually shops don't take kindly to people who refuse to pay." The girl explained. "Especially Moogles." She smiled, covering her mouth as she laughed. "Also, they don't like you touching their pom."

The boy pouted. They were obviously new here. Their clothes were dirty, tattered, torn, like they'd been in a million battles before finally being sent to Traverse Town. They didn't have Munny, so they probably only had their world's currency. Kairi wondered briefly how those exchange rates worked before approaching them.

"Hi," she smiled brightly at them. "You guys must be new here, right?"

The girl looked relieved. "Yes," she nodded. "Could you tell us where we are?"

"This is Traverse Town." Kairi explained, putting on her best welcome face. Which also meant a tone of sympathy. "This is where you are sent when your world has been taken by the darkness. We are well equipped to handle your needs and we'll try and help you transition as best we can. Hopefully, this won't be a permanent thing. We're trying to put the worlds back exactly as they were."

She expected an onslaught of questions. There are other worlds? How do you expect to fix what's been broken? How long will it take? She's heard it all. She's helped people through anger, sorrow, anxiety, denial. All of it. Except for these two.

"Oh. Uh, neat!" the boy grinned. "At least there's a place for people to go, right? Where would they all go? Would they just vanish?"

How was she supposed to respond to… that? He was… happy his world was gone? The boy with brown spiky hair must have been in the worst kind of denial. The girl next to him seemed more concerned. Worry lined her brow.

"So… uh, I'm going to the refugee center. If you guys want to tag along." She offered. "Where are you two from?"

The girl chewed her lip before answering. "Land of Departure."

"Destiny Island."

Kairi froze. How was he from the island? That world had been destroyed over a year ago. He was just arriving  _now_? Where had he been? Had he landed somewhere else first and _that_  world was taken over? She shook her head. She could ask questions later.

"So… the center?" the girl reminded Kairi.

"Right! This way." Kairi turned towards the Second District. "My name's Kairi by the way."

"Kairi?!" the boy grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. "You're Kairi?!" She was in a whirl and he was in a flurry. He was really, really excited to see her. What even was going on?

"Er… yeah." She furrowed her brows. "Do I know you?"

"It's me!" He backed up, patting his chest. "It's Sora! Do you remember?" She barely had time to register what he was talking about. His blue eyes shone with excitement. "Wow. Kairi. You got big, too." He grabbed her face. She was too stunned to pull away. "Wow. You're really pretty."

Her face burned as she finally snapped out of it, shoving him back. "What? What are you—"

The boy suddenly sobered. It completely threw her for a loop. He turned to his companion, frowning. His blue eyes widened. "Aqua." She seemed used to his mood swings. She took it in stride as she tilted her head, a cue for him to continue. "It's here. It followed us."

The girl's eyes narrowed. The boy seemed terrified. What had gotten him in a panic? What exactly  _followed_  them?

"Sora," she placed her hands on his shoulders. "What have we told you?"

The boy took a deep breath. Then, gave her a determined smirk. "If you can't run, fight without fear."

"Good. Let's go."

They turned to run for the giant doors that led to the third district. Wait? What just happened? Where were they going? "H-Hey! Wait!" Kairi shouted.

The boy turned, holding a hand out to stop her. "Get somewhere safe, okay? We have to take care of something." He shouted over his shoulder as he began running. "We'll catch up, okay? I wanna hear all about what happened while I was gone! Oh, is Riku here, too? Nevermind! Tell me later!"

And they were gone.

It took her a moment to realize what just happened. There was Sora. Or, at least someone claiming to be him. And that girl. She fit Mickey's description to a T. Her name was Aqua.  _Aqua_. That was Master Aqua! Kairi ran after them. What did they bring here to this already saturated world? Whatever it was, it was big. She saw the shadow tower over the wall of the Third District, almost stopping her in her tracks.

What stopped her wasn't the giant Heartless. She'd seen more than enough of those (though, this one was particularly big). It wasn't the woman with her Keyblade in hand, masterfully throwing magic attacks and cleaning up the small fry around the bottom (though, watching her was like watching an artful dance). It wasn't her friend that caught up to her, tall and silver-haired muscle staring up at the creature (he had to have sense the darkness, she wasn't surprised he was there).

What stopped her in her tracks was the boy flying around the Heartless holding two Keyblades in his hands. He backed away from the Heartless, letting go of the blades. Five more appeared in a line and were quickly shot towards its face. Two more appeared in his hands as he rushed at its eyes.

"Uh." Riku was speechless.

"So, um, that's Master Aqua," Kairi pointed to the girl.

"Stop fooling around!" Aqua cupped her hands and yelled towards the boy. "This is an actual town with actual people! The faster, the better! With  _minimal damage_!"

"Oh," Riku said. Not more than one syllable? Really?

"And, uh, I think that's Sora." Kairi pointed to the boy that blasted a thunder attack from his place.

"I'm  _trying_  Master Aqua!" he grunted, his voice echoing around the district. There was their confirmation on the girl's identity. "Do  _you_  want to be up here? Because apparently his eyes aren't his weak spot."

"Watch your tone!" she stopped and warned him. "This is why you aren't a master yet!"

"Sora?" Riku repeated. Oh, look! Two syllables!

"Yeah," Kairi nodded. "Like, ninety-nine percent sure."

"Should we help?" Riku asked, noting how the boy was doing particularly well on his own with what seems like an endless arsenal of Keyblades.

"Yeaaaaah, let's give them a hand."

Kairi went to help Aqua with the small fry. The Keyblade Master tried to tell her to run, but Kairi was made of more stuff than that. She smiled, summoning her Keyblade. This was what they were here for. She'd had more than enough practice to take these guys on. She knew what it was like when fighting the big baddies. It was super annoying when they were nipping at you and you were just trying to get rid of the source.

That's what Riku aimed for. Riku jumped from streetlamps and walls, slashing at the creature. Kairi caught Riku slashing at the back of its neck. How he got up there amazed Kairi. He was really good at the whole climbing thing.

"Hey!" Riku got Sora's attention. "Here!"

"Sweet!" the boy flew at him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away as an assault of Keyblade embedded themselves into the back of the neck. Then, they exploded.

The Heartless stumbled, swatting at Sora and Riku. Beams of dark energy chased them. The boy laughed, holding out his hand and blocking it with a sphere of light. Riku was yelling at him to let him down.

A lull in the lesser waved allowed Kairi and Aqua to back up and watch. The girl sighed, shaking her head.

"I said not to be afraid, not to act recklessly."

"Maybe he acts that way because he  _is_  afraid?" Kairi offered. "Though, I'm not sure why."

Kairi eyed Aqua as she looked her up and down, her eyes resting on the Keyblade. Kairi offered her a smile. She shouldn't try and scare her away. Not right now. They'd need her. And they'd need this boy. His power seemed exactly like what they needed to defeat the darkness once and for all.

Darkness pooled around their feet. Kairi pulled Aqua away as darkness burst forth from the ground. They ran from the bursts, slicing at the Heartless's feet as they did so. Riku was set down among them as Sora rose back into the air to attack the neck. Man, this Heartless had a lot of stamina.

"Never. Again." Riku stated as Kairi snickered. "Don't laugh! That was terrifying! He just  _stood in the way of attacks_! Just to show he could block them!"

"He  _is_  a bit of a show off," Aqua rolled her eyes. "Always has been. He's going to run out of magic soon. He'll be grounded at this rate."

"Grounded, like…?" Kairi asked. She was a Keyblade Master. She could seriously prevent him from watching television if she wanted. The image almost made Kairi laugh out loud.

"Like, now." Aqua pointed as the boy began to fall from the air. He struggled for a grip, catching on to the Heartless's hide to slow his descent. "Don't worry. He's fine. This is a good lesson for him."

The Heartless grabbed the boy in its large hand and smashed him to the ground. Kairi gasped. That had to hurt. He gritted his teeth, trying to pull himself from the monster's grip. It lifted its hand again thrusting down smashing with an open palm.

Kairi ran over, pulling Sora out from under the hand. He huffed, rubbing his ribs and thanking her. He groaned. "Man, I got too cocky again." He looked up at her. "I told you to hide!"

"I can handle myself," she scowled at him. She pulled him away from the hand that tried to snatch him back up. "Unlike you, clearly."

"Hey!"

Her expression softened. "You know, it's okay to be scared. Don't hide your fear, okay? Face it head on. In the end, you'll realize the darkness isn't so scary."

He bit his lip uncertainly. Kairi pulled him into an alcove to cast Cura on him and handed him an ether. He took the bottle, turning it over in his hands. Did he not know what it was?

"That's an ether," she explained.

"What do I do with it?"

Oh boy. "Drink it. It'll restore your magic. It won't do much, but that's all I've got."

The boy pulled open the bottle and guzzled it. He grinned. "Thanks! I feel much better now." As he lifted from the ground, Kairi grabbed his ankle. He turned to face her.

"Listen to Master Aqua, okay? Finish it fast. We're all right here with you." She smiled encouragingly. "And do it before you might run out of magic again."

"Will do!" Sora saluted as Kairi released him. She ran back into the fray. The battle was grueling. It was one of the stronger Heartless they had to fight. Twice as tall as a Darkside and twice as mean, it meant her using a lot of magic and Riku fighting with all he had. He did his best to reach the neck. Sora actually began to take this seriously even with that smile still hanging so naturally on his face. Aqua expertly finished off the little guys as Riku and Sora landed a finishing blow to the Heartless.

The four of them reconvened as District fell quiet. The sounds of battle echoing off until the sound vanished. Kairi wasn't sure where to start. Riku looked from her, to the newcomers. This wasn't anything they expected. The boy grinned at the girl, pumping his fist.

"We did it, Aqua!"

"You need more control." She said, folding her arms.

"Aw, come on. I know what I'm doing. I got a good handle on this."

"It's not your power that needs controlling, it's your attitude." The boy slumped. He'd heard it before, it seemed. He clearly didn't have any control over that. The girl sighed, smiling as she ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. I know you have potential. You'll make a powerful Master someday. Until then, learn to keep a level head."

"Okaaaay."

They turned back to Riku and Kairi. Kairi chewed her lip. She usually knew what to do and say when backed into a corner, but this was beyond what they were expecting with the return of Master Aqua. Sure, a powerful almost-thirty year old Keyblade Master, maybe hiding out and keeping low somewhere. Not a girl only a few years older than them. Not this boy with a crazy amount of power.

"You're… So you're Master Aqua?" Kairi started uncertainly. The girl raised her eyes in shock. She probably wasn't expecting Kairi to know about her. "We were looking for you. King Mickey told us about you. We could use your help."

"Mickey?" Aqua smiled. "Well, if Mickey asked, then I'd be glad to. But, there's something I need to do first, if you don't mind. There's someone I need to check on."

"Sure," Riku agreed. "Anything you need, we can help out with."

"Thank you."

Then, Kairi turned uncertainly to Sora. "And you were… Sora, right?"

"Right," Sora's widening grin was infectious. She felt a small smile crossing her own face. "Oh! I got your letter!" he pulled a rolled up and crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket, handing it to her. "It helped us get here, so… thanks."

Kairi opened the paper, scanning it. Oh. It was the poem she wrote when she was twelve. She had thrown it into the ocean, making her own farewell ceremony for the lost boy. How did it find him? After almost three years, it made it's way to him. The power of a goodbye, she figured. Kairi had almost forgotten about it… She handed it back to him. "You keep it. It was for you."

His face tinged pink with happiness as he shoved it back into his pocket. "So, where's Riku?" Kairi jabbed her thumb at the boy standing next to her. Sora stumbled back as if the shock had physically shoved him. "Riku!" Sora leapt at the boy to embrace him.

Riku was faster than him. Riku held him at arm's length, shaking his head. "Whoah, whoah, wait. That's not possible. You can't be Sora. She said you were dead."

Sora quirked his head in confused. "Well, I probably would have been if I were alone. DiZ and Aqua helped me."

"Where exactly did you go?" Riku shot. He was clearly very skeptical. What would that help anyway? They didn't know where their friend had been sent.

"The Realm of Darkness." Sora said easily. "DiZ found me. And then, after a while, Aqua found us. I just found a letter and a door opened and here we are. We weren't exactly sure where it would take us. But, it led us right to you." Sora frowned. "After we got here, DiZ kind of… disappeared. He has his own things to do and, well, we can't really stop him."

Aqua put a hand on Sora's shoulder. The smile was put right back on his face as he glanced at her. Kairi would tell Sora admired her. It was so easy to. She carried herself with confidence and poise. "Maybe we can go somewhere to explain things. Being out in the open isn't the best idea."

"Good idea," Riku agreed. "Our base is right up there," he pointed up the ramp. "Mickey isn't here at the moment, but we can tell you what's going on. And you can tell us what happened."

They regrouped in the tiny room that served as their base. The rest of the force was out carrying on other duties. They were crazy busy lately when it came to helping out new citizens. Before Kairi made a suggestion, there hadn't been any welcoming committees set up. Most people that arrived had to fend for themselves. Kairi helped set up and organize them within the midst of the Heartless invasion. Who else was going to do it?

Riku and Kairi explained what happened while Aqua was gone. She listened carefully; worry drawing deeper and deeper into her features. Kairi showed her the journals and showed her the data and helped her to catch up with the situation. She was eager to help and told them what she knew.

"First, his name isn't Ansem," Aqua pointed to the image of the man. "His name is Xehanort."

"Xehanort?" Riku's eyebrows shot up incredulously.

"Yes." She chewed her thumb. "This is worse than I predicted." Kairi watched her turn the page, her eyes lingering on the image of Xemnas. "Much worse."

Aqua went on to tell her story and how she knew of Xehanort. Mickey told a little bit of what he knew, but he was unclear about the whole situation. He told them of the pieces he put together, but it was still an incomplete story.

Sora listened, keeping rather quiet. Kairi noticed how he kept glancing at her. It sort of weirded her out. She understood he didn't have much social contact in the Realm of Darkness, but he should have a basic idea of how to be polite, right? Aqua was so... not like Sora. Complete opposite. How did he wind up like he did?

Kairi made notes in the journal. She was sure Jiminy wouldn't mind. They had to keep record of everything that could help them. Aqua's story was the catalyst that sent theirs into motion. And her friends… Aqua's friend was possessed by Xehanort. She wanted to return him to normal. But… was it even possible? Cloud was still possessed by Ansem. If they pulled Ansem from Cloud, destroyed him, then destroyed Xemnas, what would happen to Terra?

Finally… there was the question of what happened in the Realm of Darkness. It wasn't essential to their plans, but keen interest definitely fueled them. A Keyblade Master, a scientist, and a child all wound up there… How did they even manage to survive and keep their sanity?

Aqua told most of that story. She remembered most of the details from their meeting. Sora explained how it was pretty mundane and routine for a long time until he and DiZ met Aqua and they found out he had a Keyblade.

"We had no idea how it happened." Sora said, light sparkling in his eyes. "You have to have a Master pass them to you through an inheritance ceremony." He looked to Riku. "Aqua thinks Terra passed it to you. But," he turned to Kairi, "Who passed it to you?"

Aqua and Sora clearly knew more about the Keyblade than Kairi and Riku did. They had no idea about the inheritance ceremony. They just assumed they had been chosen. They were even called Masters themselves at one point. Clearly, after standing in the presence of one, they were not.

"I'm not sure."

Aqua chewed her thumbnail thoughtfully. "I think… I may have by accident." She said sheepishly.

Uh…  _what?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying not to rewrite Kingdom Hearts I with Kairi and Riku replacing Sora because that would have made for a boring read. I tried to summarize it and realized how bad an idea that kind of was. It didn't give me a chance to flesh out Kairi and Riku like I wanted to. I'll try and pick up the slack with later chapters.


	12. Chapter 12

Reuniting with a lost childhood friend was not exactly as Kairi pictured. She kept thinking of him as that little boy, but here he was. Fleshed out, kind of small and scrawny (compared to Riku anyway), and one of the most intense people she had ever met.

After he and Aqua had gotten cleaned up and been given fresh clothing, he wanted to stay close to Riku and Kairi. He was curious and wanted to know everything he'd missed on the island. He wanted to know what they knew and how they came to know it. He wanted to explore this world, loving how very  _small_  it was. Infinite darkness was boring. Condensed people and places were interesting to him. He wanted to know how everything worked and what food tasted like and how a cold breeze felt.

He was annoying Riku. Riku, who was like a brother to him before he disappeared, wanted almost nothing to do with him. And Sora wasn't getting the hint. Kairi knew Riku was just confused. He didn't like things that confused him, especially when something so completely unexpected happened. Riku did what he could to avoid the things that made him uncomfortable, so Kairi couldn't blame him. That was just how he was.

It was weird. Kairi knew she only knew Sora for a year. He found her on the shore. His parents brought her to the mayor of their small town to take care of her. They explored the play island together. Her memories of him were as foggy as her memories of Hollow Bastion (was that even the name of the world? That didn't seem right).

Sora acted like he'd known them forever. His memories of their childhood were gone. He forgot everything. He didn't even know what his parents looked like and yet, he still smiled. He'd spent his whole life in the darkness and he shone the brightest of anyone Kairi had ever met.

She was kind to him. Yes, he was overwhelming. Yes, he was kind of awkward when it came to personal space. But he was one of the sweetest people she'd ever met. His sense of adventure and wonder were like that of a child and it amazed her that someone in his situation turned out as well adjusted as he did.

He was going to leave with Aqua soon. She had asked for synthesis materials to make something. She and Sora were going to find Aqua's friend, Ventus, and see if they could wake him.

Kairi hung out with them as Aqua worked. Riku had left for Wonderland when he'd received reports of a wave of Heartless. Aqua wore a heavy leather apron and gloves as she worked. She seemed to Kairi like a jack-of-all-trades and master of  _all_. Sora babbled on, talking about how he discovered this cool house in the Third District where a wizard lived to Aqua. Kairi was sure Merlin was glad for the company, but wondered if the meeting went well. She would hate for Sora to have offended their ally.

"So, uh, Master Aqua. What exactly are you making?" Kairi finally asked. She wasn't sure if it was super secret Master stuff and had been dying to ask. She kicked her feet expectantly as they dangled off the table's edge.

"Armor," she replied as she poured molten materials into a cast. "To protect us as we travel between the lanes."

"We have a gummy ship, you know." Kairi pointed out. "You've seen it. It does the job pretty well."

"It's big," she explained. "Not as inconspicuous."

"Do you plan to  _fly_  between the lanes?" Kairi asked.

"In a way." Aqua wiped sweat from her brow. "Sora, go outside and show her."

"Gotcha!" He was quick to his feet. "Come on! This is really cool!"

Kairi followed him outside, not really sure what he was going to do. He summoned a Keyblade—one with a silver blade and golden hilt guard—and threw it into the air. As it came back down, it transformed. Kairi's jaw dropped. Before them was somewhat like a skateboard, except wider with controls at the feet and propulsions beneath it.

"Keyblade wielders have their own transportation!" Sora explained with a smirk. "Cool, right?"

Kairi quickly turned, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "You  _must_  tell me how you did that. Like, yesterday."

There were so many secrets to the Keyblade she didn't know about. She wanted to learn them all. It was no fair that Sora had a Master to teach him when her and Riku had actual _masters_. Sora stole her Master! That so wasn't even fair! Why would he even need one when he had all that crazy power?

Sora was hesitant. He had to ask Aqua first, though he seemed sure she'd be willing to share the information. She didn't seem like the kind of person that withheld anything. She was honest and very caring, even if she seemed a little… out there. From time to time, Kairi caught her called Sora by "Ven." Well, since they were going to go find him, maybe Kairi would learn why.

Maybe it was just her sanity that had been affected by the darkness.

Back in the Moogle workshop, Kairi asked Aqua to make her and Riku armor or at least teach Kairi how to make it. She wanted to know what Aqua knew. She was so eager it made it hard for Aqua to say no.

"I also want to go with you to find Ventus," Kairi requested. "It's better to go on quests with three."

"If you're sure," Aqua hummed thoughtfully. "It should be alright. There's enough protection around it… Yes, alright. You can come along. But promise me you won't wander where we go. It's very easy to get lost."

"Where are we going?" Kairi asked.

"To the remains of my home world. I turned it into another place in order to protect Ven's body."

Aqua taught Kairi how to make the armor. It was easy to make since she didn't need to make the full armor. Magic helped the metal wrap around the body to create full-body protection. They just had to make the arm piece to activate it. It was ridiculously easy. It was just the materials that were hard to come by. It required some very rare synthesis items. Kairi had to ask her comrades to help her out so she could have enough for her and Riku.

Tifa was taking over Kairi's work as she collaborated with Aqua. They had been able to awaken her with the help of the Princesses of Heart (most of whom were still in Traverse Town since their worlds had been destroyed). Their combined Light had been able to give Tifa the strength to break through the darkness.

She had told of how Maleficent had put her in that state. She wanted to control Cloud and Tifa was most certainly the way to do it. They had been best friends since childhood and had been separated when Hollow Bastion was taken by the Heartless.

Tifa was happy to help. She wanted to what she could to help Cloud. There wasn't much progress, which frustrated her. Aqua's arrival gave everyone hope. Kairi and Riku decided not to tell the others just how powerful Sora was. Not that they didn't trust anybody, just… they weren't sure what to make of it.

It didn't seem to bother Sora. He was actually excited to see Aqua treated as a savior of some sort. Aqua, on the other hand, felt a lot of pressure. She considered her first and last endeavor as a Keyblade Master a failure. Xehanort had gotten away with the sins he committed. She wasn't sure if she was good enough to become anyone's savior.

When the armor was finally finished, Kairi fit it on her sleeve. Sora examined it, not exactly sure what to do with it. Aqua was helping him put it on.

"Hey, Aqua. How exactly do you know how to make this armor?"

"It's not my first time," she explained. "I used to have armor and my own Keyblade. Remember, Sora? I used it to stop Terra from falling into the Realm of Darkness."

"Oh," he struggled to remember it seemed. "So, when do we leave?"

"Once Kairi masters the glider." Aqua said. "We're making good progress and now there won't be any distractions."

Kairi was happy to stay in Traverse Town to work with Aqua. Riku voiced his concerns, saying it would be better if two Keyblade wielders were out there. Someone needed to stay with Aqua and Sora. Since Kairi was the unofficial leader (Kairi wished King Mickey would take it on), it was an unspoken expectation that she'd take care of them. So, Riku went with Donald and Goofy to protect the worlds they could.

When he had some down time, Kairi would hang out with him, talking about the amazing thing Aqua was teaching her. He hadn't come home between the time they finished the armor and their own departure, so Kairi left him a note with his armor, explaining what it was and how to activate it.

Riku wasn't so certain. He was always so suspicious. He knew Aqua was on their side but felt suspicious on how she just seemed to fall into their lap. They were looking for her and then, there she was? After so many years? And Sora… Riku wasn't so sure about him. He said something felt off about him. Kairi tried to assure him Sora was fine, that he was a good guy. Riku wouldn't listen, as always.

"Just be careful," he warned.

Kairi worked hard to hold the Keyblade Glider in one piece. It was a bit like a motorcycle, except with sharp angles and weird controls on the handlebars. She wasn't sure how exactly she was supposed to drive this. At least she didn't have to worry about balance, unlike Sora. Sora, the show off, rode in circles around her as she tried to figure out the controls. Up, down, turn, wait! Stay a glider! Urg! She would drop to the ground with her Keyblade clattering next to her.

It was frustrating.

"Don't worry about him," Aqua said as she helped Kairi to her feet. "He's a natural at all of this. It took me weeks to learn how to use my glider."

"We don't really have weeks," Kairi said weakly. "We've already wasted so much precious time."

"I know," Aqua agreed. "But we have to be prepared, right?"

"Right."

She got right back on the glider. After practicing for almost two days straight, Kairi seemed to have gotten it down pat. Not really expert, she'd still need to practice more, but it was good enough to get them to where they needed to go. Besides, Aqua was driving. She didn't have a Keyblade of her own (she had lost hers along with her original armor) so she needed to bum a ride. Kairi had no qualms with that. If Aqua was driving, she wasn't going to complain.

They prepared to leave, stocking up on potions, ethers, and elixirs. Kairi packed a few Keychains, hoping maybe one of those would be better for the situation they were diving into. Maybe the Heartless hadn't found that world. Aqua was expecting (more like hoping) that it was still empty.

The night before they disembarked, Sora and Kairi sat on the ledge over Main Street. Kairi had introduced him to ice cream which he enjoyed maybe a little  _too_  much.

"Careful, you'll get brain freeze," she warned.

"Ah," he held his head as it came over him. She couldn't say she didn't try.

Sora was strange, yes. He was a little too confident in himself. He talked back. He didn't quite understand the social norm. But he was so  _friendly_. It was so easy for him to make friends. He usually charmed people at "Hello" which baffled Kairi. Everyone he spoke to liked him when he had barely any human contact for his entire life. She wondered how he did that. Maybe it was the goofy smile and a face anyone could trust.

As he recovered, he frowned a bit. "Hey, Kairi?" He hadn't lost her attention. "Does Riku hate me?"

He wasn't clueless. That was… really perceptive. Even if totally wrong. Kairi sighed. "It's not 'hate' per-say…" she fumbled with the words. "He just… he's confused. The boy from his childhood he thought had died is suddenly back. He doesn't know what to make of you. You're so strong and the power in you scares him. He mourned you for years and then… you come back after so long and you've surpassed everyone in pretty much everything." Kairi rubbed her arm.

"When we found her… the woman that threw you into the Realm of Darkness, she mentioned something about a prophecy. We were told you were dead. And, I guess it wasn't too important to find the prophecy since you were gone and she was vanquished anyway, but we came across it in our travels. I don't remember it off the top of my head, I can read it to you later, but it was something like:

"It told of how there would be a boy with two lights in his heart and a Key in his hand. He'd come from a backwater world and rise up against the darkness when nobody expected it. He'd be the savior.

"There was more, I can't really remember. I read it once but… it sounded like it  _could_  have been you. We didn't have enough information." Kairi shrugged. "Now that I've met you… yeah. Yeah, it was probably talking about you.

"Anyway," Kairi looked up at the stars. "Riku doesn't hate you. He's just scared. Give him some time… if he gets to know you, he'll understand you're just a Lost Boy." She chuckled, thinking of the Lost Boys in Neverland. Sora was just like them. "He'll come around."

"If you think so," Sora hummed, a tone of disappointment in his voice. He seemed to care less about this prophecy that spoke of him. He clearly cared way more about his childhood friend liking him. Kairi waited for him to speak. She could feel his words just hanging in the air. "It's just, well, I didn't really have anything in the Realm of Darkness. I just… I only had you guys." Sora shrugged. "I know it's silly. You guys probably forgot about me, we were so young. But the memory of you two kept me going. It gave me hope that we'd get back to the Light."

He frowned, holding his ice cream over his knee. Kairi noticed it beginning to melt. "I found the remains of our island in the Darkness," he said. "And… when I did, I almost gave up, you know? I didn't really have anything to go back to. Then, your letter washed up on shore. It gave me hope that you hadn't forgotten all about me. That maybe you and Riku were waiting for me somewhere. Then the door opened."

Kairi couldn't imagine what he had been through. He'd lost everything while everyone moved on without him. But he was here now. He was alive. He had a chance to make a difference in the world that had forgotten about him. He had the power to do anything. And Kairi wasn't going anywhere.

His ice cream slipped off its stick, falling onto the mailbox below them. He whined and begged her for another.

The next day, after resting well, they left Traverse Town. Kairi held onto Aqua from behind as Sora zoomed into the atmosphere ahead of them. The armor fit more comfortably than she expected and worked  _way_  better than she anticipated. It was kind of amazing, really. Being outside of the ship for once. It made the multiverse feel much bigger. It was so open. She wasn't able to appreciate it while being stuck in a ship with three boys.

Sora flew next to them as Aqua took the lead. They couldn't really communicate. The vacuum of space had no way to reverberate sound. Aqua would point in the direction they were heading and Sora would follow. Aqua wondered what it was like for them. They had been trapped in the same place for so very long and now they were free to go anywhere.

As they traveled, they passed the vortex with the ship that orbited it. Kairi glared. It didn't stop. When would Ansem be satisfied? When all of the stars had vanished? What would he rule then? What was his end game? Eternal darkness, then what? Eternal chess tournaments with his Nobody?

They approached the world in what felt like no time at all. The gliders were much faster than she expected. She liked it. This would make traveling much easier. Well, for her at least. If she had a party, they would have to take a Gummy ship.

They landed before a white, towering castle. Everything about it made Kairi just want to turn around. Aqua did  _this_  to her world? All to protect Ventus? Well… good job was all she had to say to that. Excellent work. Now, let's go grab him and  _bolt_.

Sora pressed his armor, dismissing it as he ran up to the door to open it. It was  _massive_. How did he expect to open it?

Kairi and Aqua were quick to help him before he hurt himself. They struggled, but made it. Inside was beautiful. White, clean, plants and a golden door stood before them. Behind them, the door closed automatically, making Kairi jump. Aqua seemed to expect it and Sora simply did not seem surprised by anything.

Or rather… seemed preoccupied. The boy stepped into the middle of the room, looking around and frowning.

"Something's here." Sora announced. "We're not alone in the castle."


	13. Chapter 13

Sora could feel them crawling throughout the castle. The creatures of darkness swarmed in every nook and cranny. Those didn't bother Sora. They were easy and expected. No, it was the large bodies of Nothing that made him nervous. Sora counted them one, two, three, four, five,  _six_. Six figures of Nothing were hidden throughout the castle.

"How many?" Aqua asked. He told them. She didn't seem surprised. "Sent here by Xemnas, most likely. They're probably searching for the chamber."

"Wait, Nobodies?" Kairi asked. Sora watched as the color drained from her face. She was scared. No, that wasn't the right word:  _terrified_. She had told of her meetings with some of the Nobodies and how they wound up losses. She barely made it out of the fight in one piece and they were only  _toying_  with her.

Sora grimly nodded. He hadn't had the pleasure of meeting with the humanoid Nobodies. Kairi had shown him the lesser beings, which weren't all that tough. They were like the Heartless, only… it was strange because there was nothing by a void within them. It was weird coming across something that didn't have a heart.

"We have to hurry," Aqua commanded quietly.

She led them throughout the castle. Sora became aware that they were being watched. The eyes on them were constant. They already know they were here. Sora frowned, wanting to tell his party members. He glanced to Kairi who didn't seem at all comforted by the situation.

Sora met her eyes and offered her an assuring smile. She should remember what she told him. She needed to face her fears to become stronger from them. Besides, she wasn't alone this time. She had Aqua and himself right beside her.

His smile seemed to relax her. She was still shaken, but was okay to push forward.

Aqua expertly navigated the maze of halls and rooms. Every room looked exactly the same and every corridor was identical. How did she know they weren't back where they started? Then again, Aqua was always amazing like that. She knew how to keep a level head and seem to just  _know_  what to do next. It might have also been that she  _made_  this castle and that alone just blew Sora's mind.

It didn't take long to find the Chamber of Waking. It felt too easy. A place swarming with monsters and not one attacked them. It set Sora on edge. Kairi was right there with him, he figured when he noticed her fingers itching to grab her Keyblade.

The two hovered by the door as Aqua stepped towards the center of the room. The room was white with a blue tint and the Master's sigil lining the walls. They were all connected by chains of light, leading to the center of the room that was decorated by nothing but a throne.

In the throne sat a flaxen-haired boy around the same age as Sora and Kairi. Sora couldn't get a good look at his face from this distance. His Master rushed to his side, crouching beside the throne, pushing his hair back to look at his face. She smiled so gently, Sora could feel the comfort she had at knowing Ven was still safe. He wouldn't be for long. They needed to get out of here  _now_. How was he supposed to tell her that?

"Aqua, we, er, kind of have to—"

"Right," Aqua nodded. She adjusted herself in front of the throne, pulling Ven onto her back. She jogged to catch up to them, securing the boy on her back. "Let's go."

Sora opened the door. Before them stood a tall, lanky man with pointy red hair that was slicked back and bright green eyes. A smirk played on his lips as he held a chakram behind his head. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Sora slammed the door in his face, turning to the girls. "So, what's the plan?"

Sora got nothing by bad vibes from that guy. The lack of a heart perturbed him. He couldn't tell how much light and darkness truly resided within him and it threw him off.

"The plan is," came a voice from a dark portal that appeared across the room, "That you drop whatever you came to get and come with me peacefully."

"Not gonna happen," Sora replied stubbornly. Aqua held a hand in front of Sora to stop him from rushing in too quickly. Sora glanced from her hand to her face. Her eyes flicked back to her hand and he followed. She held out two fingers. A signal. Only two Keyblades max. Sora nodded as he understood. She discussed with him being a trump card. An act of surprise. He was something nobody would be expecting.

Didn't matter. This guy didn't look so tough.

As Aqua retracted her hand to secure her grip on Ven, Sora summoned Kingdom Key. He grinned, lunging for the Nobody. Kairi was right beside him with Destiny's Embrace in hand.

"Aw, really?" the Nobody whined as he jumped just out of reach. "Two Keyblade wielders? That's not fair." He didn't seem all that surprised. Sora wondered what he knew, but didn't give himself time to consider it. He blocked an oncoming flaming chakram.

Fire burst up around them, preventing the three of them from leaving the room. Aqua danced away from the flames that licked the door, having to be careful to make sure the boy on her back did not get burned.

As Sora and Kairi fought the Nobody, he realized he wouldn't need more than one Keyblade. With Kairi by his side (who was an amazingly graceful fighter), this battle was a little too easy. The bombardment of flames made the whole room way too hot, but Kairi's blizzard attacks helped to cool it down.

A chakram flew passed his ear. Sora felt it flying back towards him from his left side. He dismissed Kingdom Key and raised his hand to summon Diamond Dust and block. The force of the blow pushed him back. The blade in his hand… wasn't Diamond Dust. What was Wayward Wind doing there? Whatever. It didn't matter. He lunged to slash at the Nobody.

The change in fighting style seemed to have caught him off guard as Sora landed a hit. It dazed the Nobody enough for Kairi to cast a binding spell. The man fell over, struggling against the spell, his chakrams Sora held the blade to his throat.

"Drop the barrier, Nobody." Sora ordered. Kairi stood next to him, slinging her Keyblade towards him. The man frowned.

"The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Memorize it."

"Where you the only one sent after us?" Kairi asked.

"Yes. For now," Axel sat up, shaking out his head. The barrier was still up, flames licking the walls and door. Sora's threat still stood. The man looked between the three of them, his eyes falling on Aqua. She hitched Ven up more comfortably. Sora watched as Axel's gree eyes widened. "Was that what we were supposed to be looking for?" Axel asked, exasperation in his tone. "Seriously? A napping kid? Jeeze."

Sora glanced back at Aqua who frowned. Sora turned back to Axel, who rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Go before the others get here. I don't see how we were supposed to use  _him_."

The flames died down, giving them the chance to run. Kairi went first, holding the door open for Aqua. Sora stayed behind, his blade (Ven's blade) aimed at Axel. When the girls had cleared the room, he rushed after them. Sora was suspicious as to why the Nobody let them go. Maybe he saw he was beat? No. He was stronger than that, Sora suspected.

Kairi took up the front as Sora brought up the rear. Getting out wasn't nearly as easy as getting in. Heartless and Nobodies decided now was a great time to attack. Sora and Kairi took it upon themselves to take care of them to protect Aqua and Ven. Many times, the numbers felt overwhelming, making Sora wish he could bring out more Keyblades to just finish them. But the Organization was watching and Sora needed to hold himself back. Well, he supposed he had more power to utilize if he only used two Keyblades. Less magic was used and more strength was easier to access.

They made it to the front door when they were stopped by two Organization members. A strong man with pink hair and a woman with blonde hair. Her nymph-like smirk sent shivers down Sora's spine.

Sora ran to the front to protect Aqua with Kairi.

"So, all that was in there was a boy?" the girl asked, leaning an arm against the man's shoulder.

"If he's someone the Superior was looking for, perhaps he's more than he seems."

"Think we can make use of him?" The girl asked.

"Most certainly."

They attacked. Kunai and a rose colored scythe were drawn. Sora and Kairi grinned at each other, an unspoken agreement to take on their own opponent. Sora lunged for the man as Kairi went for the girl. He was ready, or at least thought he was.

The man proved more powerful than Sora anticipated. Holding back his power made this a difficult battle. He had rose-colored razor-winds thrown at him, was thrown in the air by a flurry of whirlwinds, and the Nobody teleported—a  _lot_. Sora summoned Kingdom Key in his other hand, holding both in a backhanded fashion. The man was shocked, but it did not hold him back.

Sora wasn't afraid of this man. He was formidable, yes. But he'd fought worse Heartless. Sora was light on his toes, flipping over bursts of energy that came up from the ground, ducking under winds, battling his own aero magic with the whirlwinds. He got close to the man and grinned at him before slicing up under his chin, knocking him back. It dazed the Nobody enough for Sora to use a finishing move, knocking the man to the ground. When Sora was sure he wouldn't get back up, he turned to Kairi to see how she was doing.

Kairi was struggling. When the girl had got a chance to see how her colleague was doing, it distressed her enough to distract her momentarily.

"Marluxia!"

Kairi threw a blizzard spell at her, freezing her in a block of ice. The girl panted, turning to Sora. She was hurt, bleeding and static made her hair stand on end. Sora rushed to her, casting cure as he asked how she was doing.

"I'm fine. It won't hold her for long." Kairi turned to Aqua. "Let's go."

The three rushed out of the castle, activating their armor. Aqua set Ven down as Kairi and Sora summoned their Keyblade Gliders. She pressed the armor on his shoulder to activate it before pulling him on to Kairi's glider. It wouldn't fit the three of them at all. Kairi wasn't thrilled about having to drive it herself, but there wasn't much they could do.

Sora and Aqua climbed onto his. It was a bit cramped as she held him around the chest to secure herself. Sora looked back towards the castle, noting how a young man with silver hair stood in front of the door, simply watching them as they jettisoned off.

When they made it back to Traverse Town, Sora tumbled off his glider, raising his fists in the air. Victory! Sweet, sweet victory! They'd made it back in one piece! They'd saved the boy, battled against the Organization, and made it back alive! Was it time to sleep yet?

Back in their designated flat, Aqua laid Ven in her bed. That was when Sora finally got a good look at him. He looked crazy familiar. Where had he seen him before? He definitely felt like he knew him, even though he knew they had never met. He was Aqua's friend. He had been in that Chamber for as long as she was in the Realm of Darkness. There was no possible way for Sora to know him.

But he did. In his heart, he felt connected to him. It was like he'd know Ven his whole life, yet he knew nothing about him. Sora summoned Wayward Wind, studying the Keyblade. This wasn't his. He knew it. When he used it, he battled in a completely different style than his own. Maybe it was time to give it back.

He felt Aqua watching him from her place at the desk. She was nursing wounds sustained from Heartless and Nobodies that had escaped Kairi and Sora to attack her and Ven. Sora wondered what she was thinking. The boy she had mistake Sora for so many times was right here, right now… so what did she think of the boy she helped raise?

"Here. This is yours." Sora placed the blade in Ven's hand, resting it on the bed. He watched Ven's hand curl loosely around the handle with a smile. Looking to the boy's face, Sora's smile fell rather quickly. Ven's eyes had become half-lidded. Still asleep, his lightless eyes stared straight ahead. It was really creepy.

"Ah!" Light sparked from his chest. Sora clutched it, stumbling back. He felt as if his heart was ripping apart, a piece of it trying to escape with all of its might. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He reached behind him for support, unable to stand on his feet from the pain. Aqua was quickly behind him, her question of concern unheard.

Leaning against Aqua, light burst from his chest, filtering through his fingers. Something was  _in his hand_. Panting, he pulled his hands away from his chest to inspect it. It rose, shining and twinkling before making its way to Ventus. Sora watched the light sink into Ven's chest, spreading a glow throughout his body before settling. Sora looked up at Aqua who looked back at him, furrowing her brow in confusion.

They watched the boy expectantly. Something was bound to happen. They were still trying to process what  _just_  happened. Somebody needed to have answers, right? Maybe Ven would? Sora hoped Ven would.

Slowly, the blonde sat up, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and groaning. Sora pulled himself straight up, backing away from the boy as Aqua moved closer slowly… then, ran to his side, dropping on her knee to level with him. She waited. Sora waited.

Ven turned to the girl. "Aqua?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had trouble deciding if I wanted to write this from Kairi's point of view or Sora's. I ended up writing both views side by side and seeing which one I preferred. Eventually, I wrote more with Sora than I did with Kairi, so, we get Sora's view once more!
> 
> And Ven! Aaaah! I love Ven!


	14. Chapter 14

Riku had gotten home before Kairi. Home… it felt strange. They had some of their basics here in this flat. Clothes, some food, but nothing to really call it  _home_. There wasn't even two bedrooms. Riku slept on the couch since Kairi won the argument about who would get the bedroom. Kairi was stubborn and Riku both admired her for that and resented her for it.

Their small apartment had three rooms. A bedroom, a bathroom and a living room/kitchen. They barely used the kitchen. There were fruits in the fridge and the counter was littered with potion, ether, and elixir bottles both empty and full. The place was a mess. Neither had the time or energy to clean. It was more like a weigh station. Just a place to sleep and clean up after exhausting themselves in another world.

But it still felt more like home than any other place they'd been to. Riku's clothes were scattered across the carpet, the coffee table had the various trophies he'd earned from Coliseum battles and Keychains their friends had given them. Riku didn't have much to his name here in Traverse Town. It didn't come unexpectedly, though. He planned to leave everything behind in Destiny Island when he and Kairi were going to try and leave on that tiny raft.

Riku grew to like this town. He liked to way he could come and go as he pleased and no one really bothered him. He was helping the multiverse and that was a drive to keep him going. If you had told him this was his way of life a little over a year ago, he would have laughed in your face. He was proud of how he grew and the connections he had made and the places he'd been. He couldn't believe he didn't want anything to do with Keyblades or doors or Keyholes in other worlds. He just wanted to explore.

And here he was. Looked to as a leader (behind Kairi who stepped up considerably) and a protector, he wielded his Keyblade with honor.

Riku was sleeping when Kairi came back. Her entrance usually woke him up, being the light sleeper he was. Grunting, he looked up at the girl. She had come back from a mission with Master Aqua and… Sora. The three of them went to retrieve Aqua's friend from some world. Kairi told Riku about it a little. He wasn't too interested in that. He was more interested on how a Keyblade Master was going to help them fight the darkness. If the Master had any ideas, Kairi hadn't shared them.

"Morning, Riku," Kairi greeted as she shed her cropped jacket and kicked off her shoes. Sometimes, Kairi didn't wait to get to her room to peel the funk of battle from her. Her socks and a few assortments of clothes were among Riku's.

"It's…" Riku looked at the wall clock. "Three in the morning. It took you that long to grab some kid?"

"Well, there were some complications." Kairi shrugged. "I'll tell you after I shower. You won't believe the day I had."

Riku took a moment to wake up as the girl went into the bathroom. She was alive and that was all that Riku cared about at the moment. Whatever happened, she made it back in one piece and without tears like so many missions had caused. After he heard the water begin to run, he decided some tea would be nice to drink while the two of them shared mission stories.

He dragged himself to his feet, shuffling over to the stove to prepare the drink. He needed more sleep. Hopefully, nothing would happen within the next hour to stop him from that. Riku yawned over the sink, looking out the window into the perpetually dark town. What he wouldn't give for some free time to check out the expanded fourth and fifth districts. He heard there were a botanical garden and an arena.

He supposed that would create more jobs, which was always good. Their own makeshift government helped to distribute jobs to generate income. While the electricity and water seemed to flow automatically in this town, it was still nice to start building a temporary economy.

When the kettle whistled, there came a knock at the door. Who was that at this time? If it was Cid coming to bother him about the damage sustained to the Gummy ship, he might just flip. Riku took the kettle off the burner before crossing to the door.

Opening it, the person standing before him was the last person he expected, although he probably should have. Sora grinned up at him. He was so happy all the time. So friendly. It made it hard not to like him. Something about him made Riku feel… like it was wrong. Like he shouldn't be here. He wished he could explain why.

"Hey, Riku. Did Kairi go to sleep yet?" Sora asked. Didn't he just spend the whole—what was it—a week?—with her? Time melded together for him. What could he need right at this minute?

Riku debated lying to him and slamming the door in his face. What if it was something important? Riku sighed. "No. She's in the shower."

"Oh, okay," the boy rolled on his heels. He wasn't wearing shoes. Why would he come by without shoes? "I'll come by later then. Sorry for waking you up."

"You didn't, ah," Riku rubbed his forehead. "Come in. She'll be out in a bit."

Sora's eyes brightened as he strode in past Riku when the boy widened the door for him. Riku shut the door behind him, turning back to the counter to offer him tea. Sora accepted, so Riku made three cups. He glanced back at the boy, noting the metal device strapped to his sleeve. It was exactly like the one Kairi left for him.

Riku sat at the tiny rounded table offering for Sora to take a seat. Setting the cups down, he leaned back to look anywhere but at Sora. Be hospitable. Be courteous. Kairi would yell at you if you were rude. At least be decent to the guy who used to be like a brother to you.

Those were the key words: used to. Riku didn't know Sora at all anymore. They were friends since they were born, grew up together, then Sora vanished. Riku was six at the time and completely devastated by it. He spent the next five or so years obsessively investigating what he could about the case, only there was so much you could do when you were ten. He thought he was so grown up then.

He supposed it was because of Sora he wanted to leave Destiny Island. He felt like he needed to expand his reach to find the answers he was looking for. He knew the lady was not from their world and only wanted to find her to make her pay for what she did to his friend.

When everyone else had given up on Sora, Riku had not. Eventually, it wore him down. He gave up. The boy was probably dead somewhere. It hurt, yeah. But he eventually let it all go. He moved on after so long. Why live in the past?

The past caught up to him. And it was awkward. Sora had become such a distant memory yet the other tried to act like it was so fresh. He friendly, as Riku remembered. He smiled as if no time had passed. He laughed. He praised Riku for his skill. Why would he do that? Sora had this… amazing power, yet, he thought what Riku could do was amazing?

Riku watched as Sora tried to sip his tea. He covered his lips, a grin peeking through his fingers. "It's hot." He said as if it were the best thing in the world. Burning your mouth was a good thing? This guy was so weird.

"So, what brings you around?" Riku asked after getting tired of the weird silence. For him it was weird. If Sora felt awkward, he didn't show it.

"Ven woke up," Sora said. Riku didn't quite understand. Was that supposed to mean something important? "Turns out, his heart was hiding out in mine."

Riku furrowed his brow. None of what he said made sense. Riku didn't care enough to ask him to elaborate. He was too tired and maybe a little hungry which meant he didn't want to deal with bull. Maybe he'd ask Kairi later, since it seemed she might understand what was happening, but right now, he didn't think he had the capacity to process it properly.

More silence. The water continued to run. Kairi usually took insanely long showers if she was wired after a mission. This one must have been good. He was happy for her but at the same time wished she'd hurry up so he wouldn't be left alone with Sora.

That was when he realized this was the first time they were alone together.

Kairi, please hurry.

Sora exhaled loudly, leaning against his palm. He frowned at Riku, yet his eyes showed only kindness. It made it hard to be mad at him. He felt guilty even though he was sure he didn't do anything wrong.

"It's okay, you know." Sora quietly. "If you don't like me. I get it."

Oh, damn. Riku felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"We were kids. You've made more connections. You've changed, I've changed. I get it. But, I want you to know we'll always be on the same side. You fight for the Light, and I do too. So, let's at least work together, okay?" Sora suggested with a half-shrug. "You've got double the amount of Keyblade wielders now and we're all fighting for the same thing. So, I'll back off if you try not to be so weird. Deal?"

He hesitated, taken completely aback by what the other was saying. He felt Riku's discomfort and took it for what it was in stride. He didn't throw a fit, like Riku expected. He didn't get angry and demand why. He didn't try to fight Riku. He didn't hate Riku back. He was… very grown up about it. Unlike Riku.

Riku snorted. That was funny. He only remembered Sora as a child and how pouty he was when he lost and how he got upset with other kids didn't like him. He grew up more than Riku, which was something he did not expect.

Riku held out a hand. "Deal."

Sora grabbed it, shaking it firmly.

This time, the silence was comfortable. Riku sipped his tea when it cooled, Sora following his lead. It felt easier knowing Sora wasn't expecting anything from Riku. They weren't going to pick up where they left off, they weren't going to reminisce on old time, and they weren't going to be best friends again.

For Riku that place was already taken by Kairi. He had long since gotten over his crush on her. After she rejected him, he reevaluated himself and realized why it wouldn't really work out. They just weren't romantically compatible. After actually living with the girl, Riku figured if they became involved, it wouldn't have lasted long. They could spend only so much time together before they got tired of the other's crap. Friends? Yes. They went together very well. They could tell each other everything, even some things Riku would rather not hear. More than friends? The thought repulsed Riku.

"So, you have one of those, too?" Riku pointed to the device on Sora's arm.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Aqua made them. Didn't you get Kairi's note?"

"Yeah, but, I really don't get what she meant."

Sora laughed. "Go get it, I'll show you how it works."

Riku crossed over to his table to grab the armor. It didn't look like it would protect much more than your shoulder and bicep. Seemed pretty useless to him. He brought it back to Sora who showed him how to put it on. Sora then stood up, holding his hand just above his device.

"Now, watch this. It's really easy."

Sora hit it and was soon engulfed in light. It blinded Riku momentarily. As he tried to blink the spots from his vision, he looked Sora up and down. Oh. Wow. _That's_  what she meant by armor. Riku slammed a fist on the button, feeling cool light wash over him. There they stood in the middle of the room decked in head to toe with armor. It was pretty neat. Riku flexed, twisted, and rotated his arm, amazed at how light and versatile it was. He didn't feel restricted at all.

"Aqua taught Kairi how to make to, so if you need more you'll just have to find the materials."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Riku said, pressing the button again to release the armor. He took the armor off, setting it on the table. Sora released his own armor to sit back down and drink his tea.

Sometime when Sora was showing Riku how to work the armor, Kairi must have made it to her room to change. She walked out, rubbing her hair dry with a blue towel, smiling at the two of them with a knowing smirk. He hated when she gave that smirk. It always made him feel on edge.

"Are you two getting along?" Kairi asked, sitting in the free chair and pulling the full cup of tea close.

"We don't have much choice," Riku huffed. "We don't want to suffer the wrath of Princess Kairi."

If looks could kill, he'd be a bloody mess on the floor. He knew how much she hated that nickname. Well… more like title since they had found out she actually _was_  a princess. It came as a shock to all everyone, yet, nothing had changed between them. She didn't choose to be a princess and she made it very clear. She proved herself to be a warrior. Not quite as good as Riku, but still strong enough to hold her own.

"So,  _Sora_ ," Kairi turned to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Ven woke up," Sora told her, his voice hinted confused and loss. With her, his tone was more engaging. Riku knew it was because Kairi actually  _knew_  what he was talking about.

She grew silent. "But.. his heart was gone. There was nothing within him."

"Like a Nobody?" Riku asked. Was Aqua's friend a Nobody? If so, Riku wasn't so sure about this retrieval mission. If there was a Nobody in their midst, he didn't think he could handle it.

"No," Kairi shook her head. "Like, his heart was just  _gone_. With Nobodies, there's this void, you know? With Ven it was just… hollow. So, he's been sleeping for the past eleven years because of it."

"I still don't exactly understand it myself," Sora chewed his lip. "Ven tried to explain it, but… he's still kind of out of it. His heart was hiding out in  _mine_. His heart connected with his body when I touched him and it just… came out of me." Sora motioned his hands to his chest, bursting out.

"He kind of explained how our hearts connected when I was born because his was fractured. Xehanort pulled all of the darkness from his heart and left broken." Sora shook his head. "He wasn't really keen to explain. He was more concerned about what happened after he lost his heart. He asked where Terra was and I figured he and Aqua could use some time to catch up. So I came down here. I dunno. I just needed to tell someone."

Kairi smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will settle and Ven will tell us what he knows. Don't worry."

Sora squirmed. "I just… I don't know how I could have had another person's heart in mine without knowing it. I thought I had a pretty good handle on it, you know?"

Riku felt bad for the guy. He was lost. He probably felt like he was missing something and didn't know how to take this new discovery.

"The heart has many secrets," Riku said, folding his arms. "What we know doesn't even scratch the surface. We can never hope to know what hides in the heart."

Sora seemed to find some comfort in that. He sighed, leaning back and fiddling with the chain of his zipper. Riku wondered if Sora was jealous of Ven. He and Master Aqua had been together for as long as Sora could remember and now her attention was focused on another.

Nah. Sora didn't seem like the type to get jealous.

"I should have figured," Sora shook his head out. "DiZ used to study the heart, but stopped because it was inhumane."

DiZ? Oh, right. The man that raised Sora.

"Nobody could have guess anything like  _that_  could happen," Kairi pointed out. "That's kind of amazing. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Sora shook his head. "Not really. It's you guys that are amazing." He looked between them. "You've been fighting against the darkness. Doing good with the strength you were given. You guys definitely have the right stuff it takes to be a Keyblade Master. I just have a lot of… I don't really know what to call it."

"Heart," Kairi snickered.

"That's not even funny." Riku told her flatly. Riku did not like puns. Especially when Kairi felt the need to use them. Which was a lot. She thought she was real funny and clever. Sora was lucky it went right over his head.

"Okay, so heart things aside, tell me about the unbelievable day you two had." Riku quickly changed the subject before Kairi could make another joke. The two were glad for a change of subject. And, yes, Riku would not have believed the day they had. They went up against three Nobodies? Sure, Aqua and Sora could probably have taken them down, but Kairi? Her? Fight them? And come out victorious? If Sora wasn't going on about how awesome she was and the fact that Kairi never lied, Riku would have called her on her bluff.

He couldn't believe they got away from the Nobodies. Then again, only three of them chased after them. What would have happened if all six attacked?

"Did any of them follow you?" Riku asked. Kairi and Sora looked at each other. Looks like it wasn't something they considered. Riku sighed heavily. They've hidden out pretty well, considering all the enemies they fought against. He didn't think they knew their location quite yet.

"I don't think so," Sora shrugged. "They aren't in my range anyway."

Range. Like he could sense them. How far did his range reach? Was it enough to cover the district? The town? The world? Riku wouldn't be surprised either way. He wondered what else this guy could do and if it could be put to any use. Riku considered it for a moment… maybe he  _could_  use Sora to help protect this world.

He just needed to know the extent of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been super excited to write as Riku! This was a fun chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

It took a few days for Ven to recover. In that time, Kairi had gone with Donald and Goofy on a mission to Neverland to check how it was doing. There were people whirling in and out of their headquarters always with new information. Worlds that had fallen or were coming close to it, Heartless sighting in new worlds, updates on figures and calculations what went over Sora's head. He tried to keep up, desperately asking what he could do while Aqua was with Ven. They all kept telling him to lay low. That there wasn't much he could do. He didn't know enough about the situation to make a difference just yet.

This was beyond frustrating. Everyone had something to do. Everyone had a job except for him. Even Aqua, who was multitasking, was sent out to retrieve people from other worlds that could help with their fight. The Princesses of Light were all gathered from their worlds for the sake of protection and even they were put to work fortifying the light within this world's Keyhole.

Sora found someone much like him in this regard: Ventus. Ven and Sora sat side by side in the headquarters, watching people bustle around, shouting orders, both of them being told they would only get in the way if they. Sora pursed his lips, swinging his bare feet against the box they sat on, watching Cid pace back and forth, going on about Gummy ship mechanics.

Ven leaned back against the wall, his arms folded, pouting. Aqua had gone to investigate just how badly the darkness was spreading for herself. She took the information given and braved to go further than anyone else. Sure, Sora knew she had a job to do. He knew she would come back safely because she was  _Aqua_. Aqua always knew what she was doing.

Ven wasn't happy about her leaving. Neither was Sora. Since she started going out on missions, he felt  _alone_. Sora was sure Ven wasn't happy for entirely different reasons, but Sora had been with DiZ and Aqua for as long as he could remember. DiZ already left him and now Aqua? Logically, Sora knew Aqua was coming back. He knew he wasn't alone. But he was still terrified she'd leave for good. He didn't like being away from her for so long.

"Hey," Riku walked up to the two of them. In unison, they looked up at him. For a moment, he froze, his eyebrows shooting into his silver hair. He shook himself out, brushing his hair back. "Let's walk." They eagerly jumped to their feet, desperate for something to do. "And, please, stop doing that. It's creepy."

"Doing what?" they asked at once in the same tone. When they realized what happened, the boys smirked at each other. Riku's discomfort was hilarious.

 _"That."_  Riku sighed.

It didn't take long for the boys to discover that Ven's heart was still very much connected to Sora's. Neither minded all that much. It proved for a lot of amusement since the two were virtually useless to this task force. Yes, Sora had all this power. But nobody took him seriously. They acted like he was a child. They hadn't given him a chance to prove himself.

Riku took them down the ramp into the middle of the third district. It was so quiet. It was early, yet. None of them had a normal sleep schedule. It was impossible to if they were going to get anything done. Time in the other worlds was incredibly relative. What was a week in Traverse Town could have been an hour on Olympus. It took Sora forever to get behind the idea that there was a day and a night. That a clock was twelve hours and there were twenty-four in a day.

Riku turned to them. "You guys are in charge of keeping this place safe. You both have Keyblades which means you can get rid of the Heartless." Riku shook his long hair out of his face. Maybe he should get a hair cut. "Sora. How far does your… 'radar' go?"

Sora shrugged. He hadn't really thought about how far he could sense a creature of darkness. "I don't know… maybe three districts? Give or take half a district?" From what Sora noticed here anyway. It was easier to measure the distance through districts. He still wasn't sure about meters or miles or how accurate it was. "The bigger it is, the easier it is for me to detect it. The more darkness, the stronger it gets."

"So, quite a distance." Riku nodded. "If you guys could patrol even for a few hours a day, that would be great. We can't afford to keep more Keyblade wielders here when the worlds need our help."

"Then let us go  _out_." Ven urged. "We can help."

"Ventus, you're still recovering. Master Aqua would kill us if we let you off this world." Riku folded his arms. "Yesterday, you could barely fend off a Shadow."

"I'm a bit rusty," Ven rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Send me out there, I'll get better."

"No," Riku replied flatly. There was no changing his mind. They both knew it. Riku turned to Sora. "And you've only been to one other world. You don't understand the rules of travel or the worlds. At least Ventus has had experience. You're a wild card. Don't worry. We'll use you when we need you guys."

Sora frowned. "This is just busy work, isn't it?"

"For now." Riku said. "Maybe you guys can practice. Sora, learn to reel it in believably. Ventus, loosen up." Riku turned to go back, then snapped as if he remembers something. "Oh, right. Sora, don't let Ventus go off on his own. Master Aqua's orders."

The boys glanced at each other before turning to watch Riku walk off. Sora desperately wished Kairi or Aqua were here. Riku was a bit of an… what was the word… uncompromising person to put it nicely. Kairi would have given them at least a useful job.

"Geeze, Aqua, I don't need a babysitter." Ven sighed.

"It's not that," Sora shrugged as they set off to walk some rounds. "She cares about you, you know? She doesn't want you to push yourself too hard. She'd be devastated if anything happened to you. She knows she can be overbearing. She knows she might hold you back. She means well. She just doesn't want a repeat of last time. She's been through more than enough after losing you and Terra and spending so long in the Realm of Darkness." Sora eyed the other. "She missed you so much, that she saw you in me when nobody else could."

Ven frowned. Sora knew he didn't understand. He thought Aqua was taking her power as a Keyblade Master too seriously. He only remembered her as she was so many years ago. He felt like she hadn't changed at all. Sora hoped one day he would see she was only looking out for him.

Their job was boring to say the least. They came across small hoards of lesser Heartless and Nobodies. Sora let Ven have at it, only stepping in when he struggled to move. His body was still stiff from sleep, his joints locked up. Ven needed to take frequent breaks, refusing to concede to Riku's accusations of not being ready. Sora let him, knowing better than to antagonize him about it.

Ven was kind of like a brother he never had. They got along so easily it was as if they had been friends for eternity. There wasn't a lot they needed to talk about, yet both found it hard to stop talking. Ven's stories of his journey were fascinating. Sora's story of his growth and power took Ven in.

Ven, the boy that had been in Sora's heart and would know it better than anybody, had no idea why Sora was like that. They knew Ven was the reason he was able to use the Keyblade, which was something at least. Ven didn't remember much from his time with Sora. Bits and pieces mostly. The most recent memory was fighting against the Organization.

There hadn't been much sighting of them since then. Sora wasn't hopeful. They were biding their time; they all knew it. They were trying to build Kingdom Hearts to gain hearts of their own, that much they knew. How they were going to do it. Sora had no idea.

Outside of the Flick Rush Arena, Sora and Ven watched people mill in and out of the entrance for a while. Sora and Ven exchanged battle stories and friendships made along the way. They laughed at each other expense, reflected on mistakes, acknowledged pigheadedness.

"I still can't believe you and Riku used to be friends," Ven finally said.

"Yeah," Sora ruffled his hair, a bit frustrated. "Well, we were kids. I looked up to him. He pushed me to be better. He and I faced everything together. You know, up until I was five. We both changed, though." Sora leaned back, holding onto the wall they were sitting on. "I wonder if we would have still been friends if I had never been thrown into the Realm of Darkness."

"Who knows?" Ven shrugged. "Maybe you would have shown him how to have fun."

Sora snickered. "Maybe."

That was when Sora felt it. Something  _big_  was here. Sora slid off the wall, slowly walking towards it. It felt familiar. It was definitely a Nobody, that's for sure. Maybe… No. "The Organization's here."

"Hm?" Ven followed him.

"Come on!" Sora beckoned, running towards the fifth district. It was so close—out of nowhere! Poof! It existed! How did they find them? What were they planning to do? Sora could  _not_  let them get back to their world (The World that Never Was wasn't exactly a secret). Their only option was capture or destroy.

Sora didn't like the idea of destroy. They were way too human. The thought made him uncomfortable, but it was one of their only two options.

Sora stumbled to a halt in the garden, Ven right behind him. Looking around, he couldn't see anything. There were some teenagers in the upper terraces, admiring the plants. Well, maybe not. Maybe they were just hanging out in a quiet place. Sora didn't blame them. This place was really peaceful.

Sora didn't expect it to be for long. "Hey!" Sora shouted. It alarmed the teens who leaned over the railing to look at them. "We know you're here!" Sora summoned Kingdom Key. "Come on out!"

"Heh, you're good, kid." A tall figure slinked out from behind a tree. That spiky hair was unmistakable.

"Ax—"

"Lea?!" Sora turned to Ven whose smile stretched wide. "Lea, is that you?" He rushed forward to get a better look. "Wow, you got tall!"

The man stumbled back as if he had been hit in the face with a rock. Dazed and confused he stared at Ven. Did… did Ven know Axel? How? When? What? Who was Lea? Sora felt his grip on the blade slack. What was even going on?

"I thought it was you, but… Jeeze," Axel scratched his temple. "You haven't changed a bit."

They definitely knew each other.

"Unlike you. Wow. You got old, didn't you?" Ven gave a Cheshire grin.

"Hey!" Axel grabbed him by the shoulder, rubbing his knuckles into his head. "I'm bigger than you and stronger than you. You can't talk to me like that."

"Wanna bet on it?" Ven asked, summoning his Keyblade.

This was so bizarre. Axel, the Nobody who tried to kill them, was actually… friendly? Sora wasn't sure what to think of it. He hung back ready to make a move if Axel tried anything funny. He didn't trust the Nobody.

"You sure you wanna go?" Axel stepped back, fire bursting in his hands to reveal his chakrams.

Ven jumped back, twirling Wayward Wind. He seemed plenty ready. Sora was sure his muscles didn't agree. He could practically hear them screaming. Yet, the blonde bounced between the balls of his feet, itching to fight with this guy. Sora was ready to have his back if Axel turned on him.

"Don't hold back."

It was so clear to Sora that Axel was holding back. No fire. No heat. All chakrams and strength. Ven gave it all he could, which wasn't much. His frustration at his lack of mobility showed, yet he continued to smile. Weapons clashed, hits were landed yet no skin was broken or bruised. Sora stepped back actually finding he preferred this side of Axel. He was playful and fun and Sora found himself smiling in spite of Axel being the enemy.

Ven fell to the ground, holding a hand up. "Had… enough yet?" he laughed breathlessly. "Because I'm willing to call it a draw if you are."

Axel held out a hand to help him up. "You're worse than I could have imagined."

Ven laughed. "What do you expect? I've been sleeping for the past ten years."

"A little over eleven," Sora pointed out.

"Yeah, that." Ven struggled to stay on his feet, brushing himself off. "What have you been up to, Lea?"

"Well," Axel stepped back, giving himself a moment to try and explain. "My name isn't Lea anymore. It's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"No," Ven replied without hesitation. "It's Lea. You told me to memorize  _that_  so I did."

"Ven… Do me a favor and forget it." Axel waved his hand as if he were waving away the name. "Lea's gone. He's been gone for a long time. Almost as long as you've been asleep. I'm Axel now."

Ven frowned, looking him up and down, taking in his appearance. Sora could see the gears working, even if they weren't up to speed. Ven wasn't dumb. Sora didn't have to explain anything to him. "You're in Organization XIII, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"They're the bad guys, you know."

Axel shrugged. "It's complicated."

"They aren't going to help, you know!" Ven insisted. "Xemnas is only in it for his own gain!"

"You don't think I don't know that?" Axel half shouted. "I've been playing my  _own_  game since… It doesn't matter. I'm not any anyone's side but my own."

Sora chewed his lip. Could Axel maybe become a double agent? He wasn't the one to ask him to do that. Ven was the one that was his friend. Sora doubted Axel would even consider, especially considering the serious butt kicking he got last time. And maybe they couldn't  _really_  trust him. Sora wasn't exactly the expert on judging people. He'd only been around two people his whole life. He was just lucky they were the good guys.

"Axel," Sora said carefully, stepping forward. "Who else knows we're here?"

"Hm?" He was clearly distracted by his argument with Ven. He barely noticed Sora, which the boy wasn't used to. He wasn't exactly one to ask for attention, he was just sort of used to being acknowledged at least. "Oh. You're base isn't exactly secret. You guys just haven't proved enough of a threat to bother with. Annoying? Yes. A threat? Nah."

He needed to go back. He needed to tell Riku and the other. They needed to know how  _little_  their greatest enemy thought of them. They've been working so hard for so long and they were just an  _annoyance_? Sora couldn't believe it. The power his friends had. The strength they carried in their hearts. It wasn't nearly enough to even be put on the Organization's radar.

"Lea…" His tone was that of hurt, like he had been physically wounded by Axel's words.

"Lea's gone… at least until he get's his heart back." Axel straightened, looking Ven right in the eye. "I won't tell if you won't."

Ven looked back at Sora. They  _had_  to tell the others about this. Especially Aqua. She needed to know. She would know what to do. She always knows what to do. She has a clear and level head, so unlike Sora and so very clearly unlike Ven. Ven was impulsive, never giving a second thought to his decisions. Like this one.

"We  _won't_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ven and Sora are bros, but Ven likes to be bros with everyone.


	16. Chapter 16

"Dance with me!"

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sitting at the café in the first district. Just outside, a man was playing a fiddle in an upbeat tune. Sora hadn't really heard music before or rather, hadn't really paid attention. He felt like it was more than he could take in with everything around him. He was overwhelmed by the lights and the sounds and the people and the situation to really worry about music.

Especially the situation. He hadn't been able to focus on anything but the secret Ven was making him keep. He was so used to _not_ having any secrets that it made him nervous and on edge. He felt he could tell Aqua and DiZ everything and knew if he didn't, he'd forget. Now, without the darkness to suppress those secrets kept locked up, it wasn't exactly easy to forget them.

He wanted to tell these two leaders about what Axel said. Ven urged him to keep quiet, _begged_ him. Sora broke and promised him he wouldn't say anything. It still ate away at him. Especially since Kairi trusted him so much. And Riku? Now he had a reason _not_ to trust him. It made Sora feel worse when Kairi invited him out to eat with the two of them. How could he ever say no to her?

Here they sad with fiddle music playing, sweets half-eaten in front of them. Kairi stood, offering a hand to Riku, an excited expression on her face. Riku wasn't quite to enthusiastic. He was vigorously shaking his head. "Uh-uh. Pass."

"Come on, Riku. Pu-leaaaaase! I love this song!"

"My legs are killing me." He groaned. "I broke them yesterday, remember?" Oh, the wonders of Cure magic. Sora would never get over how Aqua cured his own broken bones growing up.

"Uh, you're boring, Riku." The red head turned to Sora, holding both her hands to him. "Sora, come on."

That smile. Ugh, he couldn't say no to that smile. He nervously chuckled, taking her hands to allow her to pull him to his feet. She pulled him towards the music, laughing as her feet stepped in time. "I should warn you, I've never danced before."

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

In the light of the streetlamps, she spun them in a circle, her feet stepping back and forth. Sora watched her, allowing himself to follow her movements. She grinned, as he caught on. "That's it! You got it!" she said as he mimicked her. He wasn't as graceful as her, not by a long shot. He was clumsy and stumbled a few times, but he tried his best to keep up. It was like the forms Aqua taught him.

She raised their arms for her to twirl under, then twisted around him. He couldn't get over how pretty she was. Seeing her like this, outside of business mode and just wanting to have a little fun… this was so natural for her. Her shoulder-length red hair flew in front of her face, as she twirled, the two small braids with colored beads whapping her in the face. She laughed, pushing them behind her ear.

They circled around each other as she pulled him close, putting his arm around her back. "Dip me!" she ordered.

"What?"

"Dip me!" She leaned back, catching Sora off guard. He fumbled to hold onto her, leaning forwards as she pulled herself back as far as she could. "Now pick me up!" Sora pulled her back, twisting them for momentum before pulling her off her feet mid-spin.

When she landed, she stepped back, holding onto his hand. She spin into him as she song ended, looking over her shoulder to catch his gaze. He gave her an uncertain grin. "How'd I do?"

"You were terrible," she laughed. "We'll have to practice." Sora let her go as she stepped over to the fiddler to drop some Munny into the instrument case. He walked back to the table as Kairi thanked the man who was tilting his hat at her. Riku was pulling a face. Sora wasn't sure whether it was good or bad, so he didn't say anything and went back to his dessert.

When Kairi returned, she scowled at Riku. "Don't laugh!" That was it. He burst out laughing. He leaned into his hands, shaking with laughter. Sora had never heard the boy laugh. This was… stunning. Riku buried his face in his arms on the table as Kairi growled at him. "What are you even laughing at? You wouldn't dance with me!"

"That was… awful," Riku gasped. "I'm so sorry, Kairi."

She punched his shoulder, which didn't have much effect. He barely budged, his muscles winning against hers. This was way too strange for Sora. Riku and Kairi acted like those teens he'd seen around town. Not the leaders of some force against darkness. They were just regular people. Right here and now. Sora sometimes wondered how Kairi, the girl who smiled and laughed all the time, was best friends with Riku, the brooding, stone cold hard ass. Sora could so clearly see it now.

Riku caught his breath, wiping his eye. "That was so bad."

"Like you're much better." Kairi huffed, crossing her arms. "Sora didn't step on my feet, unlike some lumbering jerk I know."

Sora couldn't help but smile. He watched them go back and forth for a while. The two throwing quips like it was the easiest thing in the world. There were no worries. There was no darkness. Just the two of them laughing about Sora's first dance. And, for the first time in a very long time, Sora was right there with them. He'd momentarily forgotten about the darkness and the evil and the plans and the frustration.

It wasn't long before that moment came to an end. Kairi settled back down, Riku relaxed in his seat, rubbing his thigh to sooth the ache. Kairi turned glanced at Sora, snickering. "You know, that was pretty bad. But it was fun, right?"

"Yeah!" Sora nodded. He would love to learn to dance just so they could do that again. He wanted to see that smile that glittered infectiously. He wanted those cheeks to glow with laughter. He'd do anything for that smile.

"That's right," Kairi nodded. Then, it was back to reality. "So, I was talking with Master Aqua. She said you should start getting out there." What? Really? Aqua was vouching for him? He'd have to remember to thank her when he got home. "So, we're going on a recon mission tomorrow. We found a new world and we're going to check it out."

"Really?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good idea?"

"I don't see why not," Kairi shrugged. "He can be a valuable asset. Why are we wasting it here?"

"He's not being useless here," Riku offered. "We need to protect the Keyhole and the people in this world, too. Who better to defend it when we aren't here than a one-man army?"

Was that why Riku asked him to do rounds? To protect this world? Not to keep him out of their way and stop him from annoying them? Sora kind of felt good about that. Maybe Riku wasn't so bad after all.

"Yeah, but, now we have five of us. One of us can always be on this world at all times, _plus_ more of us can go out and protect the worlds. Aqua thinks Sora can do some real good if he learns what's out there and I agree. You can't just tell him about the worlds and expect him to just _go_ and do his thing. He needs experience." She smiled at Sora. "So, you and I are leaving for Twilight Town tomorrow. I'll show you the ropes."

He gasped. He was really going to another world? With Kairi? He was actually going to help? He was going to _do_ something? And Aqua thought he was ready? Sora spun into the air, punching upward in excitement. Kairi's laughter rang throughout the café as Riku dragged Sora back down while they elicited stares.

He was going out! He was going to learn something! When he got home, he hugged Aqua maybe a little too tightly as he thanked her. He refused to let go until she knew exactly how much he appreciated it. Ven had to help her pry Sora off of her. Ven was disappointed to hear that Sora was allowed to go and he wasn't. He understood. He wasn't yet up to speed. He was improving. Very slowly improving.

Aqua warned Sora about using the extent of his power. She reminded him that two Keyblades should be sufficient if he needed an extra boost. They needed to keep what he could do hidden until the time was right. Don't show them what kind of threat he could be. He found it incredibly unsettling. They _should_ be seen as a threat. There were two Keyblade Masters among their numbers, a kid with unyielding power, three Keyblade wielders, and a constantly growing ragtag team of rebels backing them up. Oh, and those seven Princesses of Heart who were eager to help.

Aqua's logic was the less threatening they seemed, the harder they could pack a punch. Sora couldn't see it. But he listened to her. Everyone did, even if they questioned it. Whenever someone brought it up behind Aqua's back, Sora would be the first to tell her. She wasn't afraid to address their questions. She wished they would ask her to her face. They were intimidated. She tried her best to show she wasn't someone they should be afraid to step up if they thought she had a bad idea. She wasn't exactly Master Eraqus. She was trying her best and if something wasn't going to work, she needed to know so they could figure it out.

The next morning, Kairi came to pick him up. Aqua and Ven wished them luck and they were off. Kairi led the way. Sora wondered how she knew where she was going. Had she been there before? Was she given directions? He didn't know how the pathways and doors between worlds worked. Sometimes, they had to fight off Heartless, other times, the way was clear. They traveled from world to world, passing them and ricocheting off their gravitation pull to gain speed. It felt like it was hours before they reached the world.

When they did, it was totally worth it.

They landed in front of a train station with a clock tower that overlooked the town. Sora stopped, unable to take his eyes from the sight. He removed his helmet to get a better look. It was better than he could ever imagine.

"Is that the sun?" he asked, never pulling his eyes away as he stepped up onto the low wall. The light burned his vision, making him see spots, but he didn't care one bit. He felt the warmth from the red and orange rays.

"Sora…" Kairi came up behind him. He could feel her curious eyes on him. She would never understand how incredible this moment was for him. "Have you never seen the sun?"

Sora shook his head. "I mean… I know I did when I was little. I can't remember what it looked like. What it felt like. DiZ had to remind me during our lessons. The darkness suppressed so much." His eyes were watering from the pain. He didn't want to look away. He spread his arms, trying to absorb as much of the light as he could. "But I've always lived in darkness."

"This is a sunset," Kairi explained as she got up next to him, trying to steady herself so she wouldn't fall. Sora offered an arm. His balance was clearly better than hers. Then again, it was hard to be afraid of falling when you could fly. She grabbed his arm with one hand and shielded his eyes with her other.

"You'll go blind if you stare for too long." She warned.

He didn't want to step away. He wanted to continue to stare at that ball of radiation for the rest of his life. Why didn't every world have a sun? Traverse Town should. It would make the place much more homey if it did. Instead, they lived under darkness and the twinkling of the ever-disappearing stars.

He conceded. "Let's go."

Dismissing their armor, they jumped from the ledge to explore the town. Sora was eager to meet new people and ask questions (like, what was that thing with wheels that guy was riding on?). Kairi held him back. They couldn't approach every person they came across. They had to blend in and act like they've always been in this Town. There were rules and the number one rule was "Don't tell anyone you're from another world."

They stopped in a lot to watch something called a Struggle Match. It was where people would fight each other with foam bats to win a trophy. Sora didn't really understand why something like that was so important to people. The idea of competition went right over his head. Why try and prove you were better than someone?

They hadn't seen any Heartless or Nobodies. While they were waiting for the next match to set up, they overheard a couple of teen talking.

"So, what do you guys want to do after I win?" said scrawny boy with blonde hair. He carried one of the struggle bats with him. "Should we go see if the rumors are true about that old house?"

"What rumors?" a girl in an orange shirt and brown curly hair asked.

"That the place is overrun with monsters and if you come across one, they'll steal your soul," replied a stout boy wearing a headband. He made a strange voice and wiggled his fingers as he spoke.

Sora raised his eyebrow at Kairi. "Heartless?"

She half-shrugged. "Or a local legend. That happens sometimes. We go to a world, hear about some scary legends, investigate them, and they turn out to be nothing and the world is totally fine. Yeah, there might he some crazy people and villains that we take care of, but they don't have the monsters we're looking for. They're world isn't in danger if there isn't any monsters of darkness."

"Is it a good or bad thing if a world has them?" Sora asked.

"A bit of both. Good for the world. Definitely good for the world. Bad for us. We waste precious time and resources and we keep an eye on it just in case. You never know when they'll show up."

As the next round began, they moved on to the next area. Sora was overwhelmed by how much light was in this world. Everything was bright and colorful, yet, soft. The streets and the buildings all felt so welcoming. When no one was around to see, he climbed higher onto one of the buildings with Kairi to overlook the Tram Common. From the top of the tallest building, they sat, watching the trams move back and forth. That was really neat, too. Why didn't more cities have that?

"Hey, what if we moved here?" Sora asked. "You know… the headquarters. It looks like there's no Heartless or Nobodies." So far. "There's light. It's bustling. We could easily blend in here."

Kairi sighed. "I know this place is nice," she started. "And, we may have to change locations eventually. But Traverse Town is where we have to stay."

"Why?" Why couldn't they move and throw the Organization off?

"Well, because everyone there knows what we're fighting for. And… if there isn't any Heartless here, us moving here would bring them here. They're attracted to the Keyblade. They'll sniff us out and invade this world, too. We don't want that to happen," she explained. "And it's easy to be in a world of misfit and mismatched people, isn't it? Everyone has their own story to tell. Their own world to go back to eventually. We don't want to have to hide."

He supposed she was right. It was easier to move about when they didn't have to try to blend in. Nobody had to pretend or explain. They all understood they were there only until the worlds were at peace once again.

Sora supposed it was smart and agreed with her. Looking over the area, that was when he noticed it. A huge crack in the back wall with foliage growing through. Without warning, he grabbed Kairi and jumped to the next building. She screamed, holding on to him tightly. Her shock only made Sora laugh. He landed in front of the gap, peering in. Kairi, still clutching him, blinked.

"A forest?"

Sora set her down. He stepped through, looking up. Light filtered through the green leaves, casting shade. The grass was smooth and cool under his bare feet. Sora laughed, twisting to face Kairi. She gave him an encouraging, yet confused smile. She let him take in his new surroundings with wonder and awe. Everything was amazing to him. _A living forest_ was a new wonder to behold. He had only seen the gardens in Traverse Town and it wasn't nearly good enough.

"If this is how you react to a forest, I'd hate to take you to Neverland. It might just blow your mind for real."

Sora began to laugh. She was like Aqua in the sense that she let him marvel without question. There was so much more to see and he couldn't _wait_ to see all of it. Suddenly, Traverse Town felt too small. He wanted to expand his sights and see all he could. All Kairi and Aqua had. He wanted the experiences they had. He couldn't help but envy them.

He stopped abruptly, turning towards the footpath that led up an incline. Through the leaves, he could glimpse a building. They were _there_. Nobodies. The first inkling of dark creatures in this world, yet, they seemed so far from the people? Didn't they usually go _towards_ the hearts? This bothered Sora.

He beckoned Kairi to follow him. They trekked up the path, stopping before the rusted metal gate. A giant lock faced them, but didn't stand in their way for long. Two universal keys were more than enough to crack it, letting it fall away with the chains binding the gates together. Sora pushed through, looking up at the building. They hadn't come out to greet them yet…

Chewing his lip, he entered the building. The dust was thick and undisturbed. The ceiling was falling apart above them. Remains of what once was a great mansion were crumbling and were nothing but all too familiar to Sora. In the Realm of Darkness, every place was like this. What looked like it was once grand and ostentatious became nothing but empty halls and rotting floorboards.

One step in and they were greeted with the welcoming committee. They weren't as nice as Kairi, though.

"They aren't anywhere else in town?" Kairi asked, summoning her Keyblade.

"No." Sora replied, bringing Kingdom Key to his hand. "They're all just _here_ for some reason."

"Organization, maybe?" Kairi suggested, thrusting her blade at an assassin.

"No. Nothing nearly that powerful."

"Well isn't that interesting."

They fought their way through the mansion, exploring its depths. They hadn't found anything interesting on the first floor. The second floor had a bedroom with what-once-was-white-but-now-was-yellow curtains that moved with a draft and a library. It seemed like a dead end. Sora and Kairi cleared the library, looking around. How could there not be anything here? Why were the Nobodies here? This didn't make any sense.

That was when Sora sensed it. A heart hidden deeper in the mansion. It was right below them. How were they supposed to get there? Who was it that drew the Nobodies to them?

"They're looking for somebody," Sora explained to Kairi, stepped back and looking at the floor. "Someone's here. I'm not sure how to get to them."

"Maybe this?" Kairi asked, pointed to the table. Sora approached to examine what she was talking about. It looked as if a symbol was drawn in marker on the table. Two circles held the Nobody and Heartless symbols respectively and a third underneath them was blank circle. It seemed so unfinished.

"Finish it." Sora urged her. She had to know how to do that, right? She knew everything.

"I don't know," Kairi shook her head. "Really, anything can go in there."

Sora sighed. Ah well. They made it this far, right? Maybe by backtracking, they can find a clue to what should go in that blank circle. He watched Kairi as she pulled out a pen from one of her pouches, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Heartless… Nobody…" she thoughtfully repeated as she pondered their predicament. Was there another kind of monster they hadn't come across yet?

He had been so busy looking back at the bookshelves for some kind of clue he barely heard Kairi's suggestion. "Huh? King?"

"No, Key." Kairi repeated. "But… king? Maybe. Ansem and Xemnas act like kings of the dark, don't they?" she laughed, flipping her pen in her hand.

"Is that what we're going to go with?" Sora asked. It was their only clue in this mansion. If they got it wrong, then what? Then again… it might not actually be anything. What were they expecting to happen if they finished the puzzle? Everything could happen or nothing could happen.

"Well, then we find another way to that person."

Kairi bent over the table, etching a crown into the table. Her blue pen contrasted against the gold markings and her writing was much more crude than the soft shapes. When she finished, the markings lit up. She made a noise of triumph, stepping back as the table began to light up as well. Then, the floor. Sora grabbed her as the floor disappeared from under them, keeping them aloft.

She turned up to him with a playful smirk as he lowered them to the metallic floor beneath them. "We're brilliant. We need to team up more often."

He couldn't find the words to agree more.

The metal surrounding them was in stark contrast to the rest of the mansion. There wasn't a speck of dust to me seen, lights glowed, as if transporting something throughout the rest of the underground. Sora now understood why that second door in the foyer wouldn't open, despite all their efforts. It led to this room with a single door in the opposite direction.

The two ventured through. They heard a voice echoing through the chamber. Sora's hunch was right. There _was_ someone here. In the second room, there were more blinking lights and monitors and a computer that a man in red robes stood before. He was desperately typing away at the keyboard; franticly trying to fix what he believed was broken.

"Them _Nobodies_. They've gotten through. But _how?_ I must restore the—"

" _DiZ!_ "


	17. Chapter 17

"Sora!" DiZ cried as Sora glided to him. "My boy! It's only you." DiZ firmly grasped him by the biceps as the boy grinned up at him. "I feared a Dusk might have cracked my code. Give me a moment to restore the grid and we can catch up."

Sora nodded vehemently, allowing DiZ to turn back to the computer he was working at (reminding Sora of the one Cid used). Sora was glad to see DiZ again. It had been too long. Okay, maybe only a few weeks, but to Sora it felt like years. DiZ was the only father figure he knew, the man that raised him from day one. He was patient and kind and good. He pushed Sora to do better when he needed it most and Sora wished he had stuck with him and Aqua when they finally arrived in the Realm of Light.

Sora understood DiZ's want for revenge ran deep. He wished he could do something about it. He begged DiZ to forgo his anger and frustration. Now that Sora understood better what had become of DiZ's old apprentices, he could see why he was angry. They had done something unforgivable. They had created monsters whose numbers only grew and consumed worlds. But Sora knew revenge was not the way to go. That led down the path of darkness, as seen in DiZ's own heart. The boy could see how it touched his heart, but was barred from entering. Accepted, but not welcome.

"You've been here?" Sora asked. "Why here?"

"It's a great place to tread between the light and dark," was the only explanation he offered. Light traveled from tubes that ran behind the computer up to the ceiling and past the door they entered through. He turned back to Sora who was just happy to see DiZ was doing okay. "Now, my boy, you must tell me what you've been up to. But only after you introduce me to your friend."

Sora pulled Kairi forward. "I found Kairi!" he told DiZ. "And Riku," he added a little less enthusiastically. "Kairi, this is DiZ. Aqua and I told you about him, right?"

"Ah," DiZ chuckled. "Princess Kairi," he bowed his head. Kairi backed up, clearly not sure how to take the formality. "I'd recognize that light anywhere. I had hoped you would have survived the fall of our world. Who would have imagined you would wash up on Destiny Island?"

"Er, Kairi's just fine," she insisted. "It's nice to meet you, DiZ. We've heard you know a lot about the Organization. Maybe you can help us out?"

"That has always been my intention, my dear." DiZ said. "I have planted my own devices throughout the worlds to monitor the Organization and… Ansem." He chuckled. "When I had a sufficient amount of data I was planning on sending it to Master Aqua."

Kairi laughed. "She's not very tech-savvy, sir."

"I knew she would meet the right people and it seems that she has." DiZ was clearly very confident in his plans. Sora wished their team were as confident as this man. "She had told many stories of how she made friends throughout the worlds. She would find someone who knew what to do with it. And, of course, she already has."

DiZ had no seats to offer them, as he would never have expected company. So, they stood until their legs grew tired. Sora was comfortable on the floor. He'd slept on harder surfaces. Sora spared no time in telling DiZ everything that happened since he and the man had left. He told him how his first mission to another world was with Aqua and Kairi, where they found Ven. His first fights with the Organization. About Ven waking up upon contact with Sora and how their hearts were connected. (At that, DiZ marveled, "Sora, you are so very remarkable," as if Sora's willingness to accept another into his heart at birth was the pinnacle of his mysteries—then Sora remembered that DiZ studied the heart extensively and this was a mystery that DiZ probably was more interested in solving than the others.) His disappointment at how little he could help with their society. Aqua's plans and Ven's trials. He left the part out about how Axel approached Ven, _knew him_ , even though he so wanted to tell him. He would have, too, had Kairi not been present. DiZ would know what to do.

DiZ wouldn't tell them what he was up to, even when Sora asked. He vaguely motioned around the lab, saying he spent most of his time setting this up and checking to see what the Organization were up to. He wasn't happy with the amount of information he had, so Kairi offered to let him in on what they knew, hoping to maybe help. He accepted, letting Kairi talk about the Organization. She had names and ranks, an expressed worry they might be searching for a Thirteenth member soon, elements and strengths, and favored worlds for each member. She knew that she didn't have much, but she knew their end goal: Kingdom Hearts. For the Organization, it was a means to obtain their hearts. For Ansem, it was a door to eternal darkness. She wasn't sure how it would connect. Kairi explained how Aqua told her that Master Xehanort was looking to obtain Kingdom Hearts to start a new Keyblade War.

Sora was quick to interrupt before she mentioned anything about how Xehanort possessed Terra. He promised Aqua DiZ wouldn't find out they had separate end goals. Aqua needed to help Terra before DiZ got to him and Sora said he'd help her. Aqua was fine telling the others. She understood they fought the good fight. DiZ was only looking for a means to an end.

"These past few days were driving me crazy because all I could do was walk around Traverse Town. I couldn't even train. They won't let me! Because they don't want to show what kind of power I have out in the open in case the Organization are watching Traverse Town." Sora huffed. "I was kind of going a bit insane just fighting lesser monsters. I'm going to get rusty."

"If you need a place to train without being seen, come to me." DiZ offered.

"This place isn't big enough, DiZ." Sora replied flatly. "You know how… destructive I can get."

"No, no. Not here, per say." DiZ chuckled. "I've created this virtual world and have been working on a program to—" Sora must have been giving him the most confused look as all of this went right over his head, DiZ stopped. "Never mind. Next time you come here, I'll show you. I have a few bugs to work out. My test subjects haven't quite made it back yet."

"How did you do all of this?" Sora asked. He turned to Kairi. "How long have we been here?"

"About a month and a half."

"Yeah, that. You did all of this in just that much time?" Sora couldn't believe how fast this was all done. It felt like things were done way too slowly in Traverse Town and DiZ had this place up and running in such a short amount of time.

"You have never seen me in my element before, Sora." DiZ told him. "I am a scientist above all. I create and invent. It was impossible to do that in the Realm of Darkness."

"Sir," Kairi started hesitantly. "Why don't you come with us? We're all working towards the same goal. Cid could really use your expertise and we could certainly use your knowledge."

"Ah," DiZ looked rubbed his chin. "My dear, it's not that simple. My way of doing things is… The truth is, we have the same goal but for different reasons. Yours is pure and kind. You want to save this universe. Mine is simply revenge. Nothing else quite matters. If some toes need to be tread on to get what I want, then so be it."

Sora saw Kairi open her mouth and knew what she would say. He was quick to stop her. "Aqua and I have already tried to talk him out of it." Sora shook his head. "Everything you can think to say, we've probably said it. There's nothing we can do to stop him."

"Indeed," DiZ agreed.

"Despite that, DiZ is family," Sora told her. "He'd still do everything he could to help us and we know he wouldn't betray us. We don't have to agree with him, but we're still there for each other."

"Could not have said it better myself, Sora." DiZ chuckled. "You've become quite wise with your short time in the light."

"There's a lot to learn," Sora said, standing up. Their time was growing short. They needed to head back to Traverse Town soon, especially since there wasn't much they could do here. "I want to see all I can. I want to make more connections and do everything I can to help. I want to make sure the light continues to shine brightly in the hearts of everyone I know. And finally, Kairi and Aqua are giving me the chance to do that." Sora offered a hand to help her up. She grabbed his arm to pull herself to her feet, brushing herself off. "It seems this world is relatively safe, for now. Right?"

Kairi nodded. "Right. You know, besides the mansion swarming with Nobodies."

"But they're looking for DiZ." Sora turned to him. "They won't find you, right?"

"Of course not." DiZ barked a laugh. "I will keep an eye on this world and let you know of any changes." He pulled a piece from the computer and handed it over to Kairi. "This drive has a copy of my program on it. If this Cid is as genius as you say he is, he will know what to do with it."

"Thank you, DiZ." Kairi bowed her head, putting the device into her pouch. "He'll figure it out. We really appreciate your help."

It was hard to say goodbye to DiZ a second time, but Sora knew they would meet again. He still didn't understand what he was doing here or what his plans were, but he hoped DiZ would stay safe. The man showed them out, quickly masking his lab as soon as they were out the door. Kairi turned back to the mansion, an expression of uncertainty on her face. Sora knew DiZ didn't make a great first impression with her. He wasn't sure how to defend him. DiZ was… well, DiZ.

They went back to the lot with the Struggle Matches to watch the final round between Setzer and Seifer. Sora was interested in seeing who would win, but be mostly wanted to distract himself from the nagging feeling that Kairi wasn't very fond of DiZ. He knew DiZ was right there, toeing that line to the darkness. But DiZ hated what it did to his apprentices. He'd seen first hand what happened to someone too close to the darkness.

When the celebrations for the winner began, Sora and Kairi took their leave. Seifer fought a good fight and Sora was glad he won. Setzer rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. At they reached the train station to activate their armor, Sora snickered.

"Maybe next time theirs a competition, you and Riku should enter." He told Kairi. "Seems like fun."

"You don't want to?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, I do, but it wouldn't exactly be a fair fight with me, would it?" Sora laughed. "It looks like something you guys might enjoy. It'd be cool to see who'd win."

"Oh, so you'd think it'd be fair if _we_ fought in it?" Kairi put her hands on her hip, offended. "Like we're on level with the common folk and don't fight monsters every day of our lives?"

"Uh…" he quickly summoned his glider, jumping on. "Race you home!"

"That's what I thought." She huffed, following him.

The ride home was better than the ride their. They couldn't communicate, but they still found a way to have fun. They raced through debris and asteroids, competing for who would shoot down the most Heartless and Nobody ships, using other worlds' gravity to slingshot through space. By the time they landed in Traverse Town, they were exhausted. They dropped into a grass patch under a lamppost in the first district to catch their breath, arguing about who won the most competitions.

When they finally calmed down (each convinced they won), Kairi turned onto her stomach, propping herself on her elbows to look at him. She was thoughtful and Sora waited for her to speak. He knew it was going to be about what happened in Twilight Town.

"DiZ doesn't know about Terra, does he?" Kairi asked. Sora shook his head. She chewed her lip, as she looked off, clearly uncertain about what the next step to take was. "We'll have to try and take care of it first, then."

"That was our plan." Sora confessed. "DiZ can worry about the others. We just had to take care of Xehanort."

"Well, we have to worry about them, too." Kairi smiled. "They're kind of messing up the multiverse."

"Then we'll do all the work." Sora sat up to face her. "And I can start helping now, right?"

"Right," Kairi nodded. She pulled out the device from her pocket to look at it. "I hope this really helps."

Sora opened his mouth to respond, even if he had no idea what could be in that little device, when he heard Riku calling out to them. "Oi! You two!" They turned to him as he descended the steps in front of the shop. He stopped, looking down on them. Kairi turned up to him with a wicked smirk and Sora gave him a friendly wave. Riku only looked from one to the other as he crossed his arms. "Kairi, are you teaching him to be like you?"

"That sounds like an insult." She mocked pain in her face. "You wound me, my dear friend."

"We don't need another lazy bum in this operation." Riku snorted. "Sora, don't pick up on her habits, got it?"

Sora nodded, desperate for Riku's approval. "Gotcha."

"So," Riku dropped into the grass with them. "Anything in Twilight Town?"

Kairi held up a thumb drive. "Hopefully. No monsters, but from the sounds of it, a killer new program for Cid to play with."

"Well, there were monsters. But only in one area." Sora corrected. "They probably won't spread out into the town. They're looking for DiZ and he's gonna keep an eye on them for us."

"That guy that raised you?" Riku's eyebrow rose apprehensively—at least, Sora thought it did. Sora could barely see the boy's face with how much silver hair consumed it. "He was in Twilight Town?"

Sora nodded. "I guess he's gonna do his thing there. But I know where he is now and he said I could visit." He was more than excited by the idea. He couldn't wait to see DiZ again and go back to practicing. He needed to let go of this build up before it exploded. Hopefully, DiZ would be finished with the thing he was talking about before Sora went back.

"I guess it's good there wasn't anything there." Riku leaned against the lamppost, watching people eating at the café. "Because we're going to Wonderland in a few hours. Yuffie said it's overrun with Heartless. The Keyhole needs to be reinforced."

"Aw, man," Kairi whined. "Ven's in the next Flick Rush match. I promised I'd watch him."

" _You_ can," Riku snorted. "I was talking to Sora." Wait, what? He and Riku? Were going on a mission? Together? Sora twisted onto his knees to face the boy. He heard correctly, right? "Sora, Goofy, and I are going to head to Wonderland while you goof off."


End file.
